Lucknow

Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed the state tax department to strengthen revenue collection while ensuring better services, quicker grievance redressal and respectful treatment for honest taxpayers and traders.

Chairing a review meeting with senior officials of the State Tax Department, the chief minister said the department would play a vital role in Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy. He stressed the need for a governance system built on both revenue growth and public trust.

According to an official statement, Adityanath asked officials to simplify and digitise the tax system further, while also making it more transparent and accountable. He said delays in GST registration, return filing, refund processing and disposal of appeals should be removed.

The chief minister also emphasised regular interaction with traders and directed officials to organise awareness drives and taxpayer assistance programmes for small businesses at district and block levels.

He said technology and data analytics should be effectively used not only to check tax evasion but also to support legitimate businesses.

Officials informed the meeting that Uttar Pradesh collected Rs 1,15,977 crore under GST and VAT during the 2025-26 financial year, achieving nearly 98.8 per cent of the revised revenue target.

The state ranked second in GST collections nationwide after Maharashtra, ahead of Karnataka.

Adityanath instructed officials to further expand trader outreach programmes. Officials said such initiatives had already been conducted in all 75 districts, focusing on GST registration, return filing and GST 2.0 reforms.

Training sessions for traders and “Vyapar Bandhu” meetings were also organised across districts, while plans are underway to launch block-level outreach programmes from June 2026.

The meeting was informed that the state tax department has also intensified coordination with agencies and departments such as CGST, DGGI and the Railways, besides holding discussions with business groups, trader associations and bar bodies across the state.

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Special outreach efforts were also carried out for bullion traders in view of prevailing global economic conditions, officials added.