Central excise collections to touch Rs 3600 cr in Mangalore

Mangalore, Feb 23 (UNI) The Mangalore Central Excise Commissionerate is expected to achieve a growth rate of about 19-20 per cent in collections to reach Rs 3,600 crore mark by March 2007, its Commissioner Dr John Joseph said today.

Addressing a press conference here on the eve of excise day celebration, he said the Commissionerate, covering three revenue districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, had collected Rs 3,220.89 crore central excise till January this year as against Rs 3,008.48 crore during the same period last year. The total Central Excise collection during 2005-06 stood at Rs 3,459.72 crore.

The Commissionerate had collected Rs 91.38 crore and Rs 122.48 crore as service tax during 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively. This year up to January, it had collected Rs 123.93 crore as service tax.

Dr Joseph said that given the robust pace of growth of the Indian economy and the thrust given to it by the Government by following reforms-based approach, industries and services sector in the region were doing well. The major revenue yielding commodities of the Commissionerate were petroleum products, paper, Iron and Steel products. The main tax payer was Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), a subsidiary of ONGC.

To a query, he said deployment of customs officials at Bajpe airport, near here, was expected to be completed in an year. The airport required 27 officials, he added.

UNI