New Delhi: The central government''s indirect tax collections increased by 12.23 per cent during the first-half of the current fiscal at Rs74,510.45 crore, compared with Rs66,391.59 crore achieved in the same period last year.

The collection performance so far represented 41.95 per cent of the budget estimate of Rs1,77,599 crore for indirect taxes for the year 2004-05.

While customs duty collection for the period under review increased by 8.84 per cent to Rs25,216.91 crore (Rs23,167.96 crore), excise duty collections increased by 10.11 per cent to Rs44,494.14 crore (Rs40,409.15 crore).

Service tax collections in the first half of the current fiscal surged 70.5 per cent to Rs4,799 crore, against Rs2,814 crore during the same period last year.

The budget estimate for customs duty for 2004-05 has been pegged at Rs54,250 crore. In the case of excise duty, the budget estimate for 2004-05 has been pegged at Rs1,09,199 crore. For service tax, the budget estimate for 2004-05 has been fixed at Rs14,150 crore.

Indirect tax collections during September stood at Rs15,132.65 crore, which represents a 25.06 per cent increase over Rs12,100.01 crore achieved in the same month last year.

While customs duty collections during September stood at Rs5,423.65 crore (Rs4,177.08 crore), excise duty collections were at Rs9,032.58 crore (Rs7,428.61 crore). Service tax collections stood at Rs676.22 crore (Rs494.32 crore).

An official release said that the anti-evasion and audit activities of the central excise department have been strengthened to augment revenues. The department has realised Rs09.64 crore from unscrupulous manufacturers who were evading excise duty and issued notices demanding duty of Rs1,234 crore.