The chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Sushil Chandra, has in a letter dated July 6, issued to all high ranking income tax (I-T) officials expressed his concern over the non-satisfactory rate of growth in income tax (I-T) collections during the first quarter (April - June) of the current financial year 2017-18.

He attributes the growth rate of 15% in the net collections aggregating to 1.42 lakh crore during this period, largely to the lower refunds issued to taxpayers.

His letter states: "The position of direct tax collections till June, 2017, has been reviewed by the board and it is noted that on several parameters, the growth in revenue is not satisfactory. The gross collections have increased by only 8.4% and it is only due to lower refunds that the net collections are showing a growth rate of about 15%."