CGST formations of Bhopal celebrate 8th GST Day on July 1 with the theme "GST: Simplifying Taxes; Empowering Citizens" at Ravindra Bhavan, Bhopal. The function was chaired by Manas Ranjan Mohanty, Chief Commissioner, Customs, CGST and Central Excise (MP & Chhattisgarh). Nav Ratan Soni, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax for MP and Chhattisgarh was the chief guest. Taxpayers, including exporters and MSMEs, were feted for their contribution to the government exchequer on various parameters. Officers of the Department were conferred Commendation Certificates for their meritorious and tax payer friendly services apart from their sporting achievements. The representatives of the Trade & Industry from CII, FICCI & FMPCCI lauded the efforts of the government in easing compliance burden. They said GST made tax compliance easier, reduced costs for businesses, and allowed goods to move freely across states. The Chief Commissioner in his inaugural address exhorted officers to do their best in their twin role as facilitators and regulators. GST Day celebration is the culmination of fortnight long GST Pakhwada from 16 to 30 June with the objective of facilitating and engaging with taxpayers. During the fortnight, Tax Conclaves were organised in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur & Raipur with industry leaders, associations of trade bodies, policy makers and tax practitioners where deliberations were held on GST related achievements, challenges and future roadmap. Help desks were set up in various places and GST Suvidha Kendras were revamped for attending the taxpayer queries and concerns. The dual GST system in India is a destination-based, IT-driven, and self-regulatory tax structure ensuring seamless input tax credit across the value chain. It has unified numerous central and state taxes, reduced border bottlenecks, and eliminated tax distortions and arbitrage. GST collections for FY 2024–25 stood at Rs 22.08 lakh crore, a 9.4% YoY growth. Madhya Pradesh contributed Rs 44,780 crore, with Rs 9,035 crore collected in the first two months of FY 2025–26. Over 1.5 crore active taxpayers reflect GST’s success, with 85% of Deloitte survey respondents reporting a positive experience.