One Nation, One Tax: Has GST Truly Unified India’s Markets?
- IJLLR Journal
- Nov 10
- 1 min read
Disha Choudhary, Gautam Buddha University
ABSTRACT
The implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017, was an exciting leap toward economic unification in India by replacing different state and central taxes with a single system. This paper asks the question of whether there has been any promise of "One Nation, One Tax" through exploring GST's impact on inter-state trade, production efficiency, and consumer prices. By combining a deep literature review with fresh empirical data from undergraduate students, professionals, and small business owners, the paper shows how GST has broken down historical barriers and provided compliance efficiencies while promoting competition. Overall, while the GST is a substantial positive step in the process, it is far from the end; there are some challenges for small businesses, and there are a few continued implementation issues that plague the GST. So, the journey continues as India's aspirations of a seamless market are gaining momentum. This paper provides a smart analysis by showing GST's successes and failures as well as the long road to India's monetary unification.
Keywords: Goods and Services Tax, Central Taxes, Literature Review, Empirical Data, Seamless Market, Monetary Unification.
