Maharashtra is the biggest contributor to the Indian government's income tax collections. The state contributed Rs. 2,77,720.11 crore, or about 40 percent, of the total Rs. 6,95,788.85 crore in income tax collections, in financial year 2014-15. This and other details spanning 16 years were released by the country's income tax department for the first time on Friday.
There are 10 categories of income tax assesses in India – individuals, corporates, trusts, local authorities, government, partnership firms, Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), body of individuals, association of persons and artificial juridical person.
The number of individual Indians paying income tax decreased by 3.70 lakh between financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14. In 2013-14 (assessment year 2014-15), 4.87 crore individuals paid taxes, down from 4.90 crore in the previous year.
In all, 7.14 lakh companies paid corporate tax in financial year 2013-14, marginally up from 7.03 lakh companies in the preceding year.
Overall, the number of income tax payees declined to 5.17 crore (provisional) in financial year 2013-14 (assessment year 2014-15) from 5.21 crore in the previous financial year.
Falling direct tax-to-GDP ratio
The direct tax-to-GDP ratio declined to 5.93 percent in 2008-09 from 6.30 percent in 2007-08 and further dropping to 5.47 percent in 2015-16 (provisional).
According to the provisional direct tax collection data, the government collected Rs.7,42,295 crore in 2015-16.
Tax collection efficiency falls
The amount spent to collect income tax from assesses saw a marginal rise in the past two financial years. The department spent Rs. 4,593 crore, or 0.62 percent, to collect Rs. 7,42,295 crore, as against Rs. 4,101 crore, or 0.59 percent, to collect Rs. 6,95,792 crore. It was 0.57 percent in the previous financial year.
The lowest was in 2007-08 at 0.54 percent and the highest was 1.36 percent in 2000-01.
Direct taxes contributed about 51 percent (provisional) to the government's total tax collections in 2015-16, down from 56 percent in the previous year.
[1 lakh = 100,000 | 1 crore = 10 million | 100 crore = 1 billion]
