Direct tax collection up 20 per cent

The centre’s direct tax collection was up by 20.39 per cent at Rs 82,071 crore during 2002-03 compared to Rs 68,170 crore mopped up in 2001-02, mainly due to an impressive 27 per cent surge in corporation tax collection. Corporation tax mop up grew by 27 per cent to Rs 46,266crore during the last fiscal compared to Rs 36,427 crore in 2001-02, finance ministry officials said here on Monday. In contrast, income tax collection was up by only 12.8 per cent at Rs 35,805 crore during the last fiscal compared to Rs 31,742 crore in the previous fiscal, they said.

Mumbai topped the list with a total direct tax collection of Rs 27,955 crore in 2002-03, which was 24.61 per cent higher than Rs 22,434 crore raised in 2001-02. Mumbai was followed by Delhi with a collection of Rs 12,889 crore, while Chennai, Bangalore and Meerut collected over Rs 5,000 crore in direct taxes.