57th GST Council meet may focus on ‘big bang’ process reforms

The 57th GST Council meeting, scheduled for October 7, is likely to focus on a series of major business-friendly process reforms, with the government seeking to simplify compliance and address long-standing industry concerns, finance ministry sources said.The Council is expected to limit major tax rate-related decisions, with the focus shifting to procedural changes after the Centre and states agreed to the sweeping rate reforms unveiled at the September 2025 meeting, sources said.“Most of the announcements will be process reforms-related. They are big announcements, and it took some time to bring states on board,” a senior finance ministry source said.The proposed reforms are aimed at making the GST regime more business-friendly by easing compliance for legitimate taxpayers, while retaining safeguards against deliberate defaults and fraud, the source said.“We have realised that those who deliberately default or commit fraud are just a handful of businesses.