Revenue up but government misses half-yearly
Facing the challenge of ensuring funds for both poll guarantee schemes and development work, chief minister Siddaramaiah, who holds the finance portfolio, in his budget in July, set a target — a stiff one — of collecting Rs 1,75,653 crore through tax revenue.
The government was expected to mop up at least Rs 87,826 crore by September 30, but revenue earning departments have cumulatively collected only Rs 76,100 crore. “Overall, it is a good performance from all departments,” said an official from the finance department. “At this rate, we expect all of them to meet the target, if not exceed it, at the end of the year.” The commercial taxes department, the highest revenue earning wing, has an annual target of just over Rs 1 lakh crore. It has collected Rs 44,761 crore against the half-yearly target of 50,500 crore. This includes Rs 33,952 crore from GST, Rs 10,159 crore from tax on petrol and diesel and Rs 650 crore from professional tax. While it has fallen short of the target by Rs 5,739 crore, revenue is up 20% from the same period last year. The growth is among the highest among states and is well over the national average of 11%. “The trend is encouraging since trade normally goes up in the last two quarters. We are confident of meeting the annual target,” said C Shika, commercial taxes commissioner.
The optimism stems from the fact that the festive season is ahead, and 28% GST imposed on gaming is expected to ramp up collections. The stamps and registration department has collected Rs 9,614 crore of its annual target of Rs 25,000 crore, logging a shortfall of Rs 2,886 crore but is expected to fare better considering the hike in guidance value. “Collections are normally low in the first two quarters since there is the month of Ashada and other periods considered inauspicious,” said Mamatha BR, inspector general of registration and commissioner of stamps. “We are intensifying an enforcement drive to curb duty evasion. These steps will fetch us more revenue.” Liquor sales registered a 4% dip in August and September despite a hike in excise duty. The excise department collected Rs 16,550 crore till Sept 30, while the transport department collected Rs 5,175 crore (target Rs 11,500 cr).
