Key highlights

• The GST Council’s 56th meeting recommendations included a major rate structure simplification narrative (moving many items from 12%/28% into 5%/18% buckets, and a new high rate for demerit goods). Goods and Services Tax Council+1
• A specific 18 January 2026 “pre-Budget GST Council meeting” is not officially confirmed in public GST Council records.

People keep searching “GST rate cut 2026” the way they search cricket scores—hoping for relief. The truth is: a lot of the heavy lifting was already signalled in 2025.

Official material around the 56th meeting describes a simplified two-slab direction (5% and 18%), and wide relief across many common-use items, along with a higher rate for luxury/sin goods. Press Information Bureau+1

So if January 2026 brings another GST conversation, it’s likely to be about:

• fine-tuning after a major restructure
• cleaning up anomalies and compliance pain-points
• strengthening GSTAT timelines and dispute resolution (also referenced in the recommendations). Goods and Services Tax Council

If you run a business: the real advantage isn’t guessing meeting dates; it’s preparing invoices, pricing, and IT systems to adapt quickly when notified changes land.