The direct tax collection figures for the first nine months of 2007-08 have thrown up interesting trends. Bhopal, which reported the sharpest rise in personal income tax collections due to better compliance, has registered the steepest decline in corporation tax growth.

Guwahati, which has seen the highest growth in corporation tax collections in April-December 2007, is the only commissionerate to have witnessed a steep decline in personal income tax collections during the period.

Mumbai continued to be the highest overall direct tax (corporation and personal income tax) grosser with a growth rate of 67 per cent in the period.

"The decline in corporation tax collections at four places will be made up in the January-March quarter. The decline in those places was due to lower advance tax collections from coal and mineral companies," said a senior income tax official.

Bhopal saw a 456 per cent rise in personal income tax growth, while Nagpur was second with a 96 per cent increase. Nagpur was followed by Pune (60 per cent), Ahmedabad (59 per cent) and Mumbai (55 per cent). Only Guwahati saw a decline of 26 per cent in the personal income tax segment.

However, on the corporation tax front, Guwahati was at the top with an increase of 334 per cent. It was followed by Mumbai (73 per cent), Cochin (71 per cent) and Pune (49 per cent). Bhopal, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur saw sharp falls in corporation tax collections.

The overall direct tax (corporation and personal income tax) collections growth was highest in Mumbai (67 per cent), followed by Pune (55 per cent), Chandigarh (49 per cent), Guwahati (48 per cent) and Lucknow (47.5 per cent).