Personal and corporate tax collections during the 11 months of 2009-10 was reported at

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Rs 2.78 lakh crore that marks a 7.52 per cent increase, according to a finance ministry release on Thursday. This is against Rs 3.8 lakh crore earnings projected by finance minister in the revised estimates for the current financial year.

The actual collections through direct taxes stood at Rs 3.1 lakh crore for 2008-09. The figure for first 11 months for the previous financial year stood at 2.58 lakh crore.

In his general budget speech on February 26, Mukherjee alluded to increased personal income tax collections due to the withdrawal of surcharge and enhancement of the exemption limit for tax payers. He said, “Last year, I provided relief to individual taxpayers by enhancing the exemption limit for all taxpayers and withdrawing the surcharge on personal income tax. Taxpayers have responded positively to these concessions by contributing a higher level of taxes,” he said. This, he added, was the “persuasive case” for further relief in the present tax slabs. According to the official release, corporate taxes collected stood at Rs 1.80 lakh crore against Rs 1.62 lakh crore in the corresponding period, which was a 10.89 per cent growth. Personal income tax grew 1.84 per cent, to Rs 97,692 crore against Rs 95,930 crore.

After registering a dip in direct tax collection on a year-on-year basis of negative 19.84 per cent, February collection picked up, registering a growth of 27.54 per cent. Also during February, while corporate tax recorded a growth of 16.87 per cent, personal income tax growth was 37.58 per cent.