<h1>Direct Tax Collections Surge Over 40% in Eight Months, Achieving 54% of Budget Target; Corporate Tax Up 46.62.</h1> Direct tax collections in the first eight months of the fiscal year saw a growth of over 40%, reaching Rs.1,45,053 crore compared to Rs.1,00,135 crore in the previous year, achieving over 54% of the budgeted target of Rs.2,67,490 crore. Corporate Tax increased by 46.62% to Rs.86,526 crore, while Personal Income Tax rose by 42.48% to Rs.58,303 crore. Securities Transaction Tax grew by 78.93%, and Fringe Benefit Tax by 16.76%. The highest corporate tax growth was in the North-Eastern region, and the highest personal income tax growth was in Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh. Tax deduction and self-assessment tax also saw significant increases.