Despite adverse circumstances amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Haryana Government has set a new record in tax collection in the last six months.
“In the first six months of the current excise year, the Excise Department has collected `660 crores more revenue than the previous year,” said Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, who also holds the portfolio of the Excise and Taxation Department.
The Haryana Government had released a new excise policy in March. However, on March 23, policy could not be implemented as the lockdown was declared. Generally, the old policy runs till the end of the financial year i.e. March 31 and the new policy comes into effect from April 1. This time the new policy started from May 6.
Dushyant said that in the six months from May 6 to November 18, the Department has collected more revenue of ` 660 crore as compared to the corresponding six months of the previous year. It is believed that the Excise Department will not only meet the target of raising revenue of Rs 7500 crore mentioned in the new policy, but this time about 25 percent more revenue can be raised. This may be considered as a good sign during the adverse COVID-19 period, the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Giving details, he said that when the former Finance Minister issued the new excise policy for 2019-20, the target was to raise revenue of around Rs 6600 crore at that time, under which the Department had collected a revenue of about Rs 6500 crore by March 31, 2020. In the current year, in the first six months, the revenue of Rs 4165 crore has been generated.
So far, the Department has collected revenue of Rs 4164.66 crore whereas in the last two months i.e. the first six months, a total revenue of Rs 3503.93 crore was collected. So far, compared to last year, the department has raised an additional Rs 660.73 crore, he said.
Looking at this collection, the Department is now assuming that there will be another collection of about Rs 5000 crore in the next two quarters i.e. six months. In such a situation, the total revenue can reach around Rs 9000 crore, Dushyant added.
In the first quarter i.e. from May 60 to August 19, 2020, the Excise Department collected a total revenue of Rs 2391. 47crore. In the first quarter last year, this amount was Rs 2142. 86 crore hence an additional Rs 248.60 crore is raised.
Similarly, from the second quarter i.e. August 19 to November 18, 2020, a total of Rs 1773.19 crore has been collected. In the second quarter last year, this amount was Rs 1361.06 crore which means an additional of Rs 412 crore revenue was collected than the previous year.
The Deputy Chief Minister said during the lockdown, the State Government decided to impose Covid cess on liquor. All types of liquor, including foreign liquor, beer, vodka and wine, were served with COVID Cess. The State Government was expecting an additional income of around Rs 300 crore from COVID Cess. Till the second quarter, Rs 194.90 crore have come to the treasury in the name of COVID Cess.
Dushyant further said that neither the transport services in the state have been fully restored nor has there been any consumption in hotels, restaurants and bars etc. as they remained closed for the first six months. The number of labourers in the state is also less as compared to last year and there are restrictions on the number of guests in the weddings. Even under adverse circumstances, this record of the Excise Department is a point of discussion, he added.