At a time when India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime stands at a critical juncture, experts, administrators and practitioners called for a careful balance between easing compliance and safeguarding revenue at an ICSSR-sponsored seminar hosted by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in Hyderabad on Thursday. Titled “GST Reforms: Socio-Economic Implications”, the lead address was delivered by M. Ragunandan Rao, Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Telangana. He underlined the ‘Trust-First’ philosophy of the system, noting that 95% of taxpayers operate without intrusive scrutiny. Roopa Sowmya, Joint Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, cautioned against an “alarming” rise in suspicious registrations. While the three-day approval window has facilitated genuine business activity, she warned that it is also being misused by fraudulent entities to generate fake invoices, leading to revenue leakage.