LAHORE: The revenue collection by the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department for JulyAugust of fiscal 2015-16 has increased by 36 percent to Rs3.36 billion from Rs2.47 billion in the corresponding months of fiscal 2014-15 with a 13.3 percent achievement in the total annual target collections of Rs25 billion in nine levy categories.

The collection in the category of tax on luxury houses witnessed an increase whereas the levy collection of education cess (abolished last year) and cotton fee remained the lowest in the two months.

Official statistics available with Dawn show that the revenue collection under tax on luxury houses increased by 61 percent to Rs1.8 million in July-August 2015 from Rs1.116 million in the corresponding months of 2014.

The department has collected Rs16.123 million under entertainment duty in the first two months of 2015-16 against Rs10.349 million in the corresponding months of last fiscal year, posting a 56 percent increase.

The revenue collection under property tax category has increased by 45 percent to Rs480.462 million in July-August 2015 from Rs331.997 million in July-August 2014.

The motor vehicle tax category has also witnessed a 38 percent increase as Rs2.51 billion were collected in JulyAugust, 2015 against Rs1.82 billion collected in the corresponding period of 2014.

The revenue collection under excise duty has also increased by 20 percent to Rs201.602 million in the first two months of the current fiscal from Rs168.179 million in the corresponding months of the last fiscal.

The professional tax collection has increased from Rs127.857 million in July-August 2014 to Rs144.363 million in July-August 2015, showing an increase of 13 percent.

Interestingly, there is no increase in tax collection from farm houses as Rs0.70 million were collected in July-August of both fiscal years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The department has failed to collect remaining dues from education cess, which was abolished by the Punjab government last year, as Rs0.412 million have been collected in July-August 2015 against Rs1.314 million collected in the corresponding period of 2014 with a 69 percent decrease. The government has set Rs45 million target for the cess during fiscal 2015-16.

The revenue collection under cotton cess has also decreased by 58 percent to Rs2.947 million in the first two months of 2015 from Rs7.087 in the corresponding months of 2014.

The Punjab government has setarevenue targetof Rs25 billion in nine categories for fiscal 2015-16, of which MV Tax had got target of Rs11.27 billion followed by property tax Rs8.60 billion, excise duty Rs2,8 billion, luxury houses Rs825 million, professional tax Rs779,322 million, cotton fee Rs505 million, entertainment duty Rs105 million, education cess Rs45 million, and farm house Rs15 million.

A source in the department claims the major focus of the department is on motor vehicle and property taxes as revenue collection in categories of luxury houses, farm houses, education cess and cotton fee remained poor in the previous fiscal years.

He says the collection is poorinluxury houses and farm houses remained poor in previous fiscals because of litigation.

Interestingly, the department`s website also shows either decrease or no ñgures in some of the categories in which tax collection is below-target.