New Delhi, Nov 10 (KNN) The indirect tax revenue (provisional) collections  increased to Rs 3,82,860 crore during April-October 2015 from Rs.2,81,798 crore during April-October 2014. In the month of October 2015 alone, the collections increased to Rs.58, 691 crore from Rs.42, 897 crore in October 2014.
 
In October 2015, indirect tax revenue (provisional) collections increased by 36.8% compared with collections made in October 2014. Cumulatively, during April-October 2015, indirect tax collections increased by 35.9% over the collections made during the same period last year, while, the target growth rate for 2015-16 is 18.8%, said a release.
 
Collections on account of Central Excise increased from Rs.87,588 crore in April-October 2014 to Rs.1, 47,685 crore in April-October 2015 and thereby registering an increase of 68.6 %.
 
In case of Service Tax, collections increased from Rs. 89,379 crore in April-October 2014 to Rs. 1, 12,727 crore in April-October 2015 and thereby registering an increase of 26.1 %. Collections on account of Customs increased from Rs. 1, 04,831 crore in April-October 2014 to Rs. 1, 22,448 crore in April-October 2015 and thereby registering an increase of 16.8 %.
 
These collections reflect in part increase due to additional measures taken by the Government from time to time, including the excise increases on diesel and petrol, the increase in clean energy cess, the withdrawal of exemptions for motor vehicles, capital goods and consumer durables, and from June 2015, the increase in Service Tax rates from 12.36% to 14%.
 
However, stripped of all these additional measures, indirect tax collections increased by 11.6% during April-October 2015 as compared to April-October 2014.
 
“These collections continue to suggest a healthy growth in the underlying tax base,” said the release. (KNN Bureau)