BHUBANESWAR:Overcoming last year’s downtrend, the Odisha Government on Tuesday claimed to have achieved a 33 per cent growth in revenue collection during the first quarter of 2015-16 fiscal.
While the State collected revenue of Rs 4697.25 crore in the first three months of 2014-15 fiscal, the collection has gone up to Rs 6257.76 crore during the corresponding period this year, Finance Minister Pradip Kumar Amat said after reviewing revenue collection in the first three months of 2015-16.
Despite the adverse situation of 2014-15 fiscal, there has been 45 per cent growth in the collection of own tax, he said.
While the amount of own tax collection during the first three months of the previous fiscal was Rs 3,427.31 crore, this time the amount is Rs 4,980.21 crore, which is 45 per cent more than the corresponding period of the last fiscal, the Minister said.
Similarly, in the non-tax revenue sector, Rs 1,277.55 crore was collected during the first quarter of 2015-16 against previous year’s Rs 1,269.94 crore, he said.
Asking officials to focus on strengthening the arrear revenue collection machinery, Amat directed the Department to expedite raids to check tax evasion.
The Minister also suggested to remove policy hurdles through amendments in event of non-realisation of revenue due to legal problems.
Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, R Balakrishnan and senior officials of Steel and Mines, Excise, Commerce and Transport and Revenue Departments attended the review meeting.