Uttaranchal income tax collection up 21%

Despite a decline in the oil sector business due to various factors, the income-tax department in Uttaranchal has been successful in increasing its revenue collection by 21 per cent to Rs 9,204 crore in 2005-06, against Rs 7,604 crore collected in 2004-05, thanks to ONGC's major contribution.

ONGC pays income tax in Dehra Dun.

"Increase in income tax revenue by Rs 1,600 crore in the last financial year is quite significant, given the fact that ONGC recorded a considerable decline in its profit due to a major fire in Bombay High, which destroyed its one offshore platform in July last year," said R J Singh, chief income tax commissioner, Uttaranchal Circle.

He said the Rs 9,204 crore included the fringe benefit tax (FBT) of Rs 64 crore and the banking cash transaction tax (BCTT) of Rs 43 lakh. The FBT and BCTT were introduced in 2005-06.

Setting up two help centres, one at Dehra Dun in the Garhwal region and another at Haldwani in the Kumaon region, and resorting to enforcement measures like survey and search also played a key role in the increase in revenue collection, Singh said.

"During the past year, two areas of business-spare motor parts and coaching institutes were selected for survey, which resulted in unearthing black money and unaccounted income amounting to Rs 75 lakh and impounding of incriminating documents," he said.

"Incriminating accounts" impounded were under scrutiny and likely to result in unearthing more black money, he said. Singh said in 2005-06, there were 19,440 new tax payers. The number of income tax returns filed is 261,802, against 244,347 in the previous year.

The department refunded Rs 1,208 crore to 66,707 tax-payers of the hill state.