LUCKNOW, Oct. 7 -- Uttar Pradesh's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections fell marginally in September 2025, even as the state's overall revenue increased compared with the same month last year. The state's total revenue increased from Rs 14,747.93 crore in September 2024 to Rs 15,237.44 crore in September 2025, a rise of Rs 489.51 crore. The state realised Rs 5,610.55 crore in GST, including Rs 2,560.11 crore from SGST and Rs 3,050.44 crore from IGST, down Rs 497.72 crore from Rs 6,108.27 crore in September 2024. GST collections reached only 58.1% of the target of Rs 9,660.75 crore, compared with 75.3% of the target in the same month last year. Finance minister Suresh Khanna said the dip in GST was not a reflection of the Next Gen GST reforms, effective from 22 September 2025, and expected higher collections in the coming months due to festive season sales and simplified GST slabs of 5% and 18%. Traders typically deposit GST a month after collecting it, which may further improve receipts, according to Khanna. Officials suggested the decline may have resulted from consumers deferring purchases after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on GST reforms on 15 August 2025. The rise in overall revenue was mainly due to higher excise duty, stamps and registration, and transport collections. Excise duty rose from Rs 3,246.67 crore in September 2024 to Rs 3,811.70 crore in September 2025. From 1 April to 30 September 2025, the state collected Rs 1.04 lakh crore in tax revenue, achieving 74.2% of the target of Rs 1.41 lakh crore for the period. This amounted to 35.4% of the annual target of Rs 2.95 lakh crore for 2025-26....