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Bhubaneswar, Jan 1: The state government has collected Rs 1728.89 crore as excise revenue till November-end in 2015-16 fiscal, which is Rs 115crore more than the amount collected in the corresponding period of 2014-15.
According to sources in the excise department, the state has targeted a collection of `2500crore as excise revenue in the current fiscal. The excise department has collected `1728.89crore until November-end, which is 69 per cent of the target.
The government has collected Rs 474.74crore as sales tax and entry tax during the period, while it had collected Rs 416.84crore during 2014-15 fiscal, sources said.
The department has also collected Rs1524.15crore from excise revenue without sales tax and entry tax by November 2015, which is 27.32 per cent higher than the collection of last financial year.
In order to raise excise revenue, the government Thursday hiked VAT on
foreign-made liquor aiming at garnering additional revenue, an official said.
However, the department failed to collect arrears pending against different organisations. Against the pendency of Rs 54.59crore, the department collected Rs 54.30lakh, which is 1per cent of the total pendency of arrear revenue. Cases involving Rs 50crore are under sub-judice, sources said.
During the visit of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi to the excise department recently, he emphasised on collection of arrear revenue on a priority basis.
Besides, the finance department has asked the department to ensure collection of Basic Minimum Target (BMT) on revenue by devising its own modalities, fit and appropriate to the department, they said.
The department has asked the excise commissioner and deputy commissioners of excise to expedite the court cases to collect the arrears.
