The Centre's Customs duty revenues continue to be buoyant, with collections in the first seven months (April-October) of the current fiscal registering a growth of 32.7 per cent to Rs 49,216 crore from Rs 37,085 crore in the same period last year.

If this growth rate were to continue in the remaining months, the Centre would comfortably achieve its Budgeted target for 2006-07 of Rs 77,066 crore.

Customs duty collections in October 2006 stood at Rs 7,503 crore, representing a 27.4 per cent increase over Rs 5,889 crore in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, the Centre's excise duty collections during April-October increased by 5.8 per cent to Rs 60,401 crore (Rs 57,104 crore).

Excise duty collections in October stood at Rs 9,086 crore (Rs 9,011 crore); the Budgeted target for 2006-07 is Rs 1,17,967 crore.

Service tax collections in the first six months of the current fiscal increased by 65 per cent to Rs 15,971 crore (Rs 9,679 crore). In September 2006, the Centre collected service tax of Rs 3,538 crore (Rs 2,152 crore).