Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will anchor a restructured GST officers' committee, as the Centre shifts focus from rate rationalisation to widening the tax base.

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• Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will be permanent members of a new Standing Committee under the GST framework.
• A senior government official disclosed the arrangement on 13 October 2026.
• The committee will have officials from 12 states: five large, four medium and three small.
• Apart from the five permanent members, the remaining seats rotate, with states changing every two years.
• The restructuring replaces the existing officers' committee structure with the Office of the Secretary to the GST Council, a GST Implementation Committee and a Standing Committee of Officers.
• The Standing Committee will handle changes to GST Acts, rules, notifications, circulars and forms, and examine proposals for new rules and simplified procedures.
• State groupings are based equally on post-settlement gross SGST revenue for 2025-26 and the number of registered GSTINs as of 31 March 2026.
• The Centre has asked all states to increase the GST tax base, offering data analytics and technology support.
• The official said rate rationalisation and procedural simplification are complete, so the focus now shifts to bringing more businesses into the tax net.
• India currently has 1.7 crore registered taxpayers, and officials indicated the number can be increased.
• States may be asked to implement business-to-consumer e-invoicing from 1 April.

Tags: GSTCouncil, StandingCommittee, GSTTaxBase