ISLAMABAD: Despite confronting challenges, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has succeeded in collecting revenues of over one trillion in 9 months and 23 days of current financial year, making history in country’s tax collection system.

“We have succeeded in collecting the record revenues despite the fact that the country is facing challenges like energy shortage which affects production and thereby the tax collection,” Asrar Rauf, Spokesman of the board told APP here on Tuesday.

He said that till April 23, the FBR has collected net revenues of Rs. 1002.509 billion. He said that revenues of Rs.878.600 billion were realized during the corresponding period of last year.

Asrar Rauf said that there has been over 14 percent increase in overall tax collections during the period under review as against the same period of last year.

The FBR collected Rs. 378.656 billion as direct taxes and Rs. 623.853 billion as indirect taxes upto April 2010 of the current financial year as against the collections of Rs. 323.768 billion as direct taxes and Rs. 554.832 billion as indirect taxes in last year, showing an increase of 17 percent and 12.4 percent respectively.

The FBR Spokesman said that similarly the FBR has collected Rs. 408.856 billion as Sales Tax upto April 2010 against Rs. 351.422 billion as Sales Tax realized in same period of last fiscal year showing an increase of 16.3 percent.

He added that his organization has collected Rs. 93.654 billion as Federal Excise Duty upto April 2010 of current financial year as against Rs. 89.381 billion FED realized in the same period last year depicting an increase of 4.8 percent in the revenue collection.

The FBR Spokesman said that the FBR has collected Rs. 121.087 billion as Customs upto April 2010 as against Rs. 114.029 billion collected in the same period last year registering an increased of 6.4 percent.

To a question, he added that due to the efforts of the FBR, new 0.5 million taxpayers would come under the tax net by June 30 this year.