Goods and Services Tax in India: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Abstract

In recent years, India, one of the world’s largest economies, has experienced the most significant tax reforms with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Since its implementation, the research on this indirect tax has been evolving over time. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of GST-related research since its inception and to identify potential avenues for the future research. For ensuring a rigorous and transparent review process, the PRISMA protocol was employed to scientifically scrutinize articles from the initial pool of 389 research studies retrieved from the Scopus database. Following the screening process 61 articles were retained for further analysis. A comprehensive descriptive analysis was performed to examine publication trends, journal-wise distribution and citation analysis to understand the profile of GST research. This was followed by the application of the Theory-Context-Method (TCM) framework to explore developments in GST research. The results of the study show that GST research in India is characterized by limited theoretical underpinning, restricted sectoral and geographical coverage and predominance of descriptive analyses. This points out the need to extend the contextual coverage and develop more advanced methodological approaches. Additionally, the review offers important implications for policymakers by identifying key research gaps from GST related areas and proposes multiple future research agendas. Furthermore, this study is one of the first reviews of GST in India and makes a significant contribution to the literature on indirect taxation both at national and international levels.