With the economic activities in the state showing signs of revival, the collections of commercial taxes, a major source of revenue of the Orissa government, surged by 23.02 percent in January this year, compared to the same period last fiscal.

It is also marginally higher than 21.08 percent growth achieved in the previous month and represented the highest growth of collection in the current fiscal.

The total collections were Rs 573.8 crore in January 2010 compared to Rs 466.45 crore during the corresponding month in 2009. While the collection of value added tax (VAT) increased by 20.2 percent, the Central Sales Tax (CST) yield went up by 25.4 percent.

The collection of entry tax increased by 38.15 percent to Rs 73.14 crore and the professional tax collection surged by 44 percent to Rs 7.2 crore.

Meanwhile, the cumulative collection of commercial taxes, up to the end of January 2010, increased by 9.93 percent to Rs 4521.6 crore compared to Rs 4113.2 crore in the same period last fiscal.

Sources said, the collection of VAT increased by 13.38 percent to Rs 3532.46 crore compared to Rs 3115.47 crore in the same period last year. However, the collection of CST declined by 16.16 percent to Rs 363.81 crore compared to the corresponding figure of Rs 433.93 crore.

While the entry tax collection went up by 9.06 percent to Rs 541.2 crore, the professional tax collection increased by 24.56 percent to Rs 81.92 crore. Sources said, the state government which mobilised Rs 5600 crore from commercial taxes last fiscal, hopes to get about Rs 6200 crore to Rs 6500 crore during the current fiscal.

It may be noted, the Orissa government has sought Rs 240.84 crore as compensation towards the loss of Central Sales Tax (CST) in the state for the first half (April-September) of the current fiscal.