 "Tax")
Direct tax collection surged 36.5 per cent to Rs 34,784 crore in the first month of fiscal year 2020-21, despite a nationwide lockdown, thanks to a 63 per cent year-on-year (YoY) fall in tax refunds in April.
Without accounting for refunds, the collection contracted 5.4 per cent, indicating muted economic activity as the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent curbs paralysed most sectors.
Gross direct tax collection stood at Rs 41,556 crore in April, as against Rs 43,950 crore in the corresponding period last year. Refunds of Rs 6,772 crore were about a third of the amount disbursed in the same month
