The booming economy has helped the Centre collect 40 per cent more in direct taxes, comprising corporate and personal income taxes, at Rs 1,11,055 crore in the first half of this fiscal (2007-08) from Rs 79,208 crore a year ago. Corporate tax recorded a growth of 41 per cent to touch Rs 72,240 crore till September 30 this fiscal, up from Rs 49,813 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to an official statement here.

Collections from this tax were the highest at 265 per cent in Bihar, not known much for industrialisation, along with Jharkhand. On the other hand, corporate tax collections fell 34 per cent in the Vidarbha region. Personal income tax, including Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT), Securities Transactions Tax (STT) and Banking Cash Transaction Tax (BCTT), rose 39 per cent to Rs 40,744 crore from Rs 29,329 crore in the corresponding period of the last fiscal. Vidarbha, which has been in the news for agricultural distress and farmers’ suicides, witnessed the highest tax collection growth from this levy at 83 per cent.

The country’s financial capital, Mumbai, recorded a growth of 96 per cent in corporate taxes and 40 per cent in personal income tax. In contrast, the Delhi region saw collections from corporate taxes growing by only 8 per cent and from personal income tax by 29 per cent. The bullish capital markets have enabled 48 per cent higher collections from STT. Collections from BCTT, which was levied to keep track of black money, grew by 17 per cent while revenue from FBT recorded a growth of 103 per cent.