Active GST taxpayers in Gujarat grew by 124% in six years After the rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) six years ago, the number of new taxpayers has jumped.

According to information from the state commercial tax department, the number of active GST taxpayers has increased by 124% in six years, from 5.08 lakh on July 1, 2017, when the new regime came into effect to 11.44 lakh now.

Industry players and tax professionals attribute the increase in taxpayers to greater formalization of the economy, in addition to fresh investments.

“Hassle-free migration and registration processes and increasing formalization of the economy are the prime reasons for the increase in the number of taxpayers, as more of them have been brought under the ambit of GST,” said a senior official of state commercial tax department.

The active taxpayer count does not include the fraudulent registrations and is computed after deducting cancelled registrations.