The 57th meeting of the GST Council is currently taking place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairing the proceedings. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, along with Finance Ministers from States and Union Territories, are attending the meeting.

The Council is considering policy measures to address GST related disputes and improve the movement of input tax credit. The proposed changes are aimed at reducing the time and cost involved in compliance.

The government is expected to put forward a five point reform plan for the next phase of changes to the Goods and Services Tax system. The proposals seek to automate processes, address administrative difficulties and lower the compliance burden, particularly for small businesses.

The proposed five areas include process reforms, structural changes, ease of living and doing business, exports of services and e commerce. Among the suggested measures are automatic invoice matching between buyers and sellers, simpler procedures for claiming input tax credits, fewer return filing requirements for small taxpayers and removal of the need for small businesses to maintain registrations across multiple states.

The previous 56th GST Council meeting was held in September last year. At that meeting, the Council approved rate rationalisation with a focus on the common man, labour intensive industries, farmers and agriculture, healthcare and important sectors driving the economy.