Net direct tax collection rises 13% to ₹12.12 lakh crore till September 17

The government's net direct tax collection rose 13% to over ₹12.12 lakh crore till September 17 of the current fiscal, driven by higher advance tax collections, according to the latest data released on Friday.

Corporate tax mop-up grew 19.48% to about ₹5.56 lakh crore while non-corporate tax collections, including those from individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), increased 6% to over ₹6.16 lakh crore.

Securities Transactions Tax (STT) collection grew 53% to ₹40,214 crore between April 1 and September 17. Refund issuance also jumped 29.19% to over ₹2.20 lakh crore during the period, the data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) showed.

Gross direct tax collection recorded a 15% growth, totalling over ₹14.32 lakh crore.

Advance tax collections rise 16.18%

Advance tax collections till September 17 increased 16.18% to about ₹5.22 lakh crore. This included an 18% rise in advance corporate tax payments to over ₹4.16 lakh crore, and a 9.24% increase in non-corporate advance tax payments to ₹1.06 lakh crore.

Hitesh Sawhney, Partner, Price Waterhouse & Co LLP, said, "Direct tax collections continue to maintain a healthy momentum, as of September 17, 2026. Gross direct tax collections have grown 15.19% year-on-year, while net direct tax collections have increased by 12.96%. Refunds have risen significantly during the period, with non-corporate tax refunds more than doubling compared with last year. Despite these enhanced refunds, net tax collections have grown at a steady place with overall net tax collections remain higher by INR 1.39 lakh crore. Overall, the net corporate and non-corporate direct tax collections stand at 45% of the Budgeted Estimate for FY26-27 while the Securities Transaction Tax stands at ~55% of the budgeted estimates. Net direct-tax collections are showing both strength and resilience, driven by stronger gross tax inflows, enhanced compliance, and sustained economic and market activity. The most encouraging signal is that net collections have continued to rise despite a substantial increase in refunds."

GST collections near ₹2 lakh crore

Meanwhile, India's gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 14.8% year-on-year to ₹1,99,853 crore in August, according to official data released on September 1.

Net GST collections increased 8.3% year-on-year to ₹1.68 lakh crore in August, compared with ₹1.55 lakh crore in the corresponding month last year. Total refunds, however, surged 67.9% to ₹31,795 crore during the month, from ₹18,935 crore a year earlier.

GST revenue from domestic transactions grew 9.3% year-on-year to more than ₹1.37 lakh crore, while revenue from imports rose 29% to ₹62,604 crore.

Gross Central GST (CGST) collection stood at ₹38,413 crore, while State GST (SGST) collections amounted to ₹46,316 crore. Integrated GST (IGST) collections were more than ₹1.15 lakh crore during August. The latest data puts gross monthly GST collections close to the ₹2-lakh crore mark, driven by growth in both domestic collections and overall revenue.