DIRECT TAX collection grows by 30% to peg at Rs 8.36 lakh crore: Finance Ministry

New Delhi: Gross direct tax collections grew 30% to Rs 8.36 lakh crore till September 17 of current fiscal year on higher advance tax mop-up buoyed by the economic revival post pandemic, the finance ministry said on Sunday.

After adjusting for refunds amounting to Rs 1.35 lakh crore, net direct tax kitty grew 23% to Rs 7 lakh crore. Gross collection of direct taxes for 2022-23 stands at Rs 8,36,225 crore compared to Rs 6,42,287 crore in the year-ago period, registering a growth of 30%, the ministry said in a statement.

This includes revenue from Corporate Income Tax of Rs 4.36 lakh crore and Personal Income Tax (PIT) of Rs 3.98 lakh crore.

Direct tax collections continue to grow at a robust pace, a clear indicator of the revival of economic activity post pandemic, as also the result of the stable policies of the government, focusing on simplification and streamlining of processes and plugging of tax leakage through effective use of technology, the ministry said.

For April-September, advance tax collection grew 17% to Rs 2.95 lakh crore. This includes advance tax payout by corporate taxpayers of Rs 2.29 lakh crore. After adjusting for refunds, net direct tax collections rose 23% to Rs 7,00,669 crore, compared to Rs 5,68,147 crore in the corresponding period of 2021-22. Refunds amounting to Rs 1,35,556 crore have been issued in 2022-23 till September 17, a 83% growth over the year-ago period.

There has been a remarkable increase in the speed of processing of income tax returns filed during current fiscal, with almost 93% of the duly verified ITRs having been processed till 17.09.2022. This has resulted in faster issue of refunds with almost a 468 per cent increase in the number of refunds issued in current financial year, the ministry said.