New Delhi, Jan 18 (KNN) The direct tax collection in the country during the first nine and a half months of the present fiscal registered an upward trend of 18.7 per cent, a release from the tax office informed.

According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the tax collection went up by 18.7 per cent hitting a figure of 6.89 crores.

"The provisional figures of direct tax collections up to January 15, 2018, show that net collections are at Rs 6.89 lakh crore which is 18.7 per cent higher than the net collections for the corresponding period last year," the tax office said in the statement.

Also with regard to gross collection, CBDT informed that the collections surged by over 13.5 per cent to Rs 8.11 lakh crore during April, 2017 to January 15, 2018.

“Refunds amounting to Rs 1.22 lakh crore have been issued during this period”.

The office regarded the positive trend as "consistent and significant”.

“The total gross collections has improved from 10 per cent in Q1, to 10.3 per cent in Q2, to 12.6 per cent in Q3 and to 13.5 per cent as on January 15, 2018”, it further added. (With PIB Input) (KNN/DA)