The government has collected Rs 43,199 crore from indirect taxes, excluding services tax, during the first quarter of the current fiscal, up 18.5 per cent year-on year.

The excise tax collections fetched Rs 23,560 crore to the government kitty during the period ended June 30, 2006, which was higher by 8.1 per cent over Rs 21,791 crore during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Despite reduction in customs duty rates, the collection from this levy surged by 34 per cent at Rs 19,638 crore during April-June 2006 against Rs 14,655 crore a year ago, according to official figures.

Excise duty collection for the month of June 2006 alone rose by 5.4 per cent at Rs 8,899 crore over Rs 8,442 crore during the same month last year.

Customs duty mop up was considerably higher by 42 per cent at Rs 7,039 crore for the third month of this fiscal compared to Rs 4,956 crore for June 2005.

Booming services made government coffers richer by 58.2 per cent during the first two months of this fiscal with the kitty from this levy growing to Rs 4,102 crore as against Rs 2,593 crore a year ago.

For the month of May 2006, services tax collections stood at Rs 2,126 crore, up 57.1 per cent against Rs 1,353 crore in the previous May.