With below-the-target GST collections and a Rs 105 billion hit in excise revenue after the duty cut, robust collections in direct taxes have come as a breather for the government. Gross direct tax collection rose 16.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5.47 trillion in the first six months of 2018-19.
With record income tax refunds crossing Rs 1 trillion in the April-September period, the net collections stood at Rs 4.44 trillion, 14 per cent higher than the previous year.
These net collections in six months form 38.6 per cent of the annual budget estimate of Rs 11.5 trillion. This is in line
