SIAM Deliberates on Policy Reforms for Automotive Taxation

New Delhi, August 26, 2025: The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised the 2nd SIAM Automotive Taxation Conference 2025, themed “Drive with Policy Reforms and Innovation to Build Viksit Bharat.” The conference included insightful discussions related to critical role of taxation policies in supporting the growth of India’s automotive sector while contributing to the nation’s economic development; GST compliance – best practices and challenges; and the role of AI & analytics for ease of compliance.
Shashank Priya, Special Secretary & Member (GST, CX&ST), CBIC, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, said, “The Government is working towards GST rate rationalization, towards substantially controlling disputes and boost consumer sentiments. We are looking at early refund of inverted duty structure, focus at more auto-filled data and working on time frame for reconciliation of credit notes.”
On this occasion, Vivek Ranjan, Member (Tax Policy & Legal), CBIC, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, Bhaskar Goswami, Joint Secretary, CBDT, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India and Nisha Gupta, Senior VP, GSTN explained some of the improvements government is considering for supporting ease of doing business for the industry.
V. Lakshmikumaran, Founder and Managing Partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Attorneys said, ““The automobile industry is not only vital for mobility but also one of the most labor-intensive, employment-generating sectors in India, both directly and indirectly. We are proud of the progress made under ‘Make in India’ and inspired by the aspirations of 1.4 billion people.”
Rajesh Shukla, Chairman, SIAM Taxation Policy Group and Head - Indirect Taxation, Tata Motors Ltd, Mr. Rajeev Goyal, Chairman, SIAM Taxation Procedural Group and CFO – Auto & Farm, Mahindra & Mahindra and Mr Sanjeev Agarwal, Chairman, SIAM Direct Tax Group and Head - Taxation & Customs, BMW India highlighted some of the opportunities that exist in the automotive sector for streamlining the taxation procedures and policies.
Arnab Roy, CFO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd said,” GST has been a game changer, bringing 99% ease of compliance, removing tax arbitrage, and restoring economic rationale to business planning. There is a need for predictability and stability in tax policy to support long-term investments and R&D for India’s energy transition.”
Vivek Anand, CFO, Hero MotoCorp Ltd said,” India has undergone major reforms in both direct and indirect taxation over the past decade. The next step must be rationalization of GST slabs and addressing classification and input credit issues to reduce compliance pain and uncertainty.”
The conference reinforced SIAM’s commitment to fostering collaboration between the automotive industry and the government to develop a taxation landscape that supports growth, innovation, and sustainability.