India's consumption economy made a roaring start in the new fiscal year with goods and services tax (GST) collections hitting a record in April while passenger car sales zoomed in the month, shaking off the drag from the West Asia war. Gross GST collections rose 8.7% in April to Rs 2.43 lakh crore, exceeding the Rs 2.37 lakh crore collected in April last year. According to industry estimates, car companies sold 445,417 cars, sedans and utility vehicles in the domestic market in April, a 25% increase over 356,113 units sold in the same month last year.