India’s September GST collection of Rs 2.03 lakh crore looked strong, but the composition tells a deeper story. Import-linked GST grew 25.9 per cent, far outpacing the 10.1 per cent growth in domestic GST, and the import share touched a record 32.2 per cent of gross collections.

Here is what that means. Import GST revenue rose to Rs 65,525 crore from Rs 52,031 crore a year earlier, while domestic revenue went from Rs 1,25,334 crore to Rs 1,37,996 crore. Of the Rs 26,156 crore increase in total gross GST, imports contributed about 51.6 per cent — even though imports were only around 32 per cent of total collections.

Experts say the rising import share partly reflects higher energy prices, commodity costs and currency effects — not necessarily stronger domestic consumption. Grant Thornton’s Manoj Mishra cautioned that stronger import collections should not be read as a sign of domestic demand growth.

For you, this matters in two ways. First, the buoyancy may be less domestic-demand-driven than the headline suggests. Second, it raises questions about import dependence despite production-linked incentive schemes, though net GST revenue still surged 18.1 per cent to Rs 1.76 lakh crore, aided by lower refunds.