Direct tax collections are likely to remain muted in the second consecutive quarter of the current fiscal year with most top Indian cities witnessing double-digit contraction in receipts till August 20. Kolkata emerged the worst-affected metro city, reporting a drop of 60 per cent in the mop up during April-August 20.

It was followed by Chennai and Delhi, which saw decline by 41 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. Mumbai was, however, one of the least-affected regions, though collection was down there too. Mumbai, which has the highest share of 34 per cent in overall direct tax ...