New Delhi: The central government''s indirect tax
collections increased by 12.23 per cent during the first-half
of the current fiscal at Rs74,510.45 crore, compared
with Rs66,391.59 crore achieved in the same period last
year.
The
collection performance so far represented 41.95 per
cent of the budget estimate of Rs1,77,599 crore for
indirect taxes for the year 2004-05.
While
customs duty collection for the period under review
increased by 8.84 per cent to Rs25,216.91 crore (Rs23,167.96
crore), excise duty collections increased by 10.11 per
cent to Rs44,494.14 crore (Rs40,409.15 crore).
Service
tax collections in the first half of the current fiscal
surged 70.5 per cent to Rs4,799 crore, against Rs2,814
crore during the same period last year.
The
budget estimate for customs duty for 2004-05 has been
pegged at Rs54,250 crore. In the case of excise duty,
the budget estimate for 2004-05 has been pegged at Rs1,09,199
crore. For service tax, the budget estimate for 2004-05
has been fixed at Rs14,150 crore.
Indirect
tax collections during September stood at Rs15,132.65
crore, which represents a 25.06 per cent increase over
Rs12,100.01 crore achieved in the same month last year.
While
customs duty collections during September stood at Rs5,423.65
crore (Rs4,177.08 crore), excise duty collections were
at Rs9,032.58 crore (Rs7,428.61 crore). Service tax
collections stood at Rs676.22 crore (Rs494.32 crore).
An
official release said that the anti-evasion and audit
activities of the central excise department have been
strengthened to augment revenues. The department has
realised Rs09.64 crore from unscrupulous manufacturers
who were evading excise duty and issued notices demanding
duty of Rs1,234 crore.
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