Dharwad: A study conducted by the Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad, found that while many people are not fully familiar with the technical aspects of the GST, they largely recognise its benefits in improving transparency, widening the tax base and making the tax system more organised.The study, titled ‘Socioeconomic Impact of GST: Both its Introduction and Reforms, Consumption Patterns, and Influence on the Middle Class and Neo-middle Class,’ was sanctioned by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), ministry of education, Govt of India.As part of the research, CMDR conducted nine focus group discussions across different districts of Karnataka and collected data to understand the impact of GST on consumers, traders and various sectors of the economy.To discuss the findings, CMDR organised a GST colloquium in Dharwad on June 18. The event brought together 36 delegates from seven districts representing the chartered accountancy, garments, construction, finance, cooperatives, hospitality, insurance and education sectors. Senior officials, including the deputy commissioner of GST, Dharwad, and vice chancellors of Karnataka university and University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, attended the programme.The discussions revealed that GST’s broader objectives have received support from stakeholders. Participants acknowledged that GST has increased transparency and encouraged formal business practices. However, many felt that compliance procedures remain complicated, especially for small traders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).The panel recommended simplifying GST return filing and input tax credit (ITC) procedures to reduce the compliance burden. It also suggested strengthening AI-based monitoring and grievance redressal systems, introducing nationwide GST education and certification programmes, and establishing stronger price monitoring and anti-profiteering mechanisms.The participants recommended greater support and higher threshold limits for MSMEs, and emphasised that future GST reforms should protect purchasing power of middle and neo-middle-class households while ensuring a stable and easy-to-understand tax system. The colloquium concluded that policymakers must balance revenue collection with ease of compliance to ensure GST delivers its full benefits to businesses and consumers alike.CMDR director Basavaprabhu Jirli, experts Pushpa Hongal, Prof RR Kulkarni, Prateek Mali, Jai Prabhakar, Dundappa YB and interns, research scholars attended the event.
