Net direct tax collections during first eight months of the fiscal (up to November 2008) stood at Rs177,251 crore, up from Rs145,053 crore, registering a growth of 22.2 per cent.

Corporate tax collections grew at 26.82 per cent (Rs109,735 crore as against Rs86,526 crore), while personal income tax (including FBT, STT and BCTT) grew at 15.28 per cent (Rs67,215 crore as against Rs58,304 crore).

Fringe benefit tax (FBT) grew at 34.47 per cent (Rs4,120 crore as against Rs3,064 crore) and in banking cash transaction tax (BCTT) rose 17.33 per cent (Rs421 crore as against Rs359 crore).

Securities transaction tax (STT), however, declined by 15.42 per cent (Rs4,165 crore as against 4,924 crore) on account of reduced capitalisation in the Indian securities market.

Growth in corporate TDS remained robust at 45 per cent (Rs40,450 crore as against Rs27,892 crore), the release said. Growth in the dividend distribution tax (DDT) of domestic companies also remained robust at 41.84 per cent (Rs9,675 crore as against Rs6,821 crore), it added.

Advance tax collections have recorded positive growth in mining, mineral, metal, engineering, Indian banking, telecom, IT, pharma, and consumer goods sectors up to September 2008. The next installment of advance tax becomes due on 15 December 2008, a government release said.

Direct tax collections have so far reached 48.56 per cent of the budget estimates of Rs3,65,000 crore, which is pegged at 16.07 per cent above the actual collection of Rs3,14,468 (provisional) during the last fiscal (2007-08).