Top News
FinMin stares at direct tax revenue shortfall by Rs 70,000 cr to Rs 1 lakh cr
By Anjana Das
New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The government may be staring at higher-than-projected deficit for the current fiscal with country’s direct tax revenue expected to fall short by Rs 60,000 to 70,000 crore over the revised target of Rs 12 lakh crore for FY19, officials privy to the numbers said.
Direct tax revenue has totalled to Rs 8.4 lakh crore so far this fiscal and it is doubted if the target could be reached in the next three weeks even though collections pick up in the last few months of the fiscal.
The Finance Ministry officials said that the direct tax revenue growth is at 12.2 per cent so far as against revised full year aim of 19.8 per cent.
“We expect Rs 1.5 Lakh crore advance tax payments by companies in fourth quarter. There will also be late income tax filers with penalty before the end of the fiscal,” said an official source.
However, another source added that the direct tax shortfall is going to be over Rs 1 lakh crore and the government should not have revised the target upwards just buoyed by last fiscal ‘s precedent.
Over estimation of revenues is a soft path taken without looking at hard numbers projections, the source said.
The Finance Ministry will also receive direct tax revenue from property tax, estate tax, gift tax, capital gains tax. But the prominent will be the income tax and the corporate tax .
The Centre had mopped up Rs 7.88 lakh crore in direct tax during April-January 2019. As per the Budget documents, the government has revised its direct tax collection target to Rs 12 lakh crore in revised estimate from earlier budgeted level of Rs 11.5 lakh crore.
The government had met close to two-third of its revenue collection target from direct taxes, garnering Rs 7.88 lakh crore from April 2018 to January 2019.
In FY18, direct tax collection was Rs 10.02 lakh crore, which exceeded the then revised budgeted target of Rs 9.8 lakh crore.
The income tax e-returns filed for the April-February period has grown nearly 30 per cent compared with the corresponding period in FY18.
While almost 6.4 crore taxpayers filed returns in the first 11 months of the fiscal, the government is expecting 7.6 crore returns to be filed by the end of FY19 against 6.7 crore in FY18.
In the last three fiscals, March alone had seen 0.8 crore (FY16), 1.1 crore (FY17) and 1.85 (FY18) crore e-return filings. The surge is seen after the Income Tax Department started sending notices to people who are involved in high-value transactions but don’t file returns.
–IANS
ana/sn/pg/prs
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.