Tax collections went up by 17.19 per cent to Rs 1,48,177 crore during April-December 2002. Direct taxes increased by 20.47 per cent to Rs 53,499 crore during the first nine months of this fiscal compared to Rs 44,408 crore in the year-ago period, while indirect taxes was up by 15.41 per cent to Rs 94,678 crore from Rs 82,036 crore in 2001, finance ministry officials said.The centre was able to mop up an additional Rs 21,733 crore this year over and above Rs 1,26,444 crore during April-December 2001-02, mainly due to recovery in industry leading to higher collections in excise and corporation tax. On the direct tax front, corporation tax collections zoomed up by 29.65 per cent to Rs 29,529 crore during the first nine months of this fiscal as compared to Rs 22,776 crore in the year-ago period. Income tax collections grew by a moderate 11.83 per cent to Rs 23,664 crore till December this fiscal as against Rs 21,160 crore a year ago. The total direct tax collections was hardly 60 per cent of budget estimate of Rs 91,585 crore for this fiscal. On the indirect tax front, excise duty collections increased by 17.39 per cent to Rs 57,790 crore till December 2002, as against Rs 49,289 crore last fiscal. Customs duty collections increased by 11.46 per cent to Rs 33,152 crore till December as against Rs 29,744 crore in the year-ago period.
