Date:11/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/10/11/stories/2004101101711300.htm

Back Coimbatore zone excise mop-up falls short by 22%

G. Gurumurthy

Coimbatore , Oct. 10

THE Central excise mop by the Coimbatore Zonal Commissionerate in the first six months of the current fiscal has fallen short by 22% of the targetfixed for the entire zone.

While the targeted excise revenue for 2004-05 was fixed at Rs 3,707 crore and the pro rata target for the half year ended September 30, 2004, at Rs 1,853 crore, the actual revenue realised till end-September is only Rs 1,433 crore, Rs 419 crore short of the target.

However, compared to the excise revenue of Rs 1,364 crore mobilised in the same six-months period the previous fiscal, this year's mop is up by 5 per cent.

According to the excise revenue figures furnished by the Zonal Excise Commissionerate (comprising the five commissionerates of Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Trichy), the Tiruchy Central Excise Commissionerate continues to lead by garnering the highest excise income of Rs 579.22 crore during the six-months period of the current fiscal. But the revenue collected by all the five commissionerates are below their targets.

Following are the revenue realised up to September by each commissionerate with the pro rata target in brackets: Coimbatore: Rs 454.52 crore (Rs 534 crore); Salem: Rs 153.33 crore (Rs 238.50 crore); Madurai: Rs 126.23 crore (Rs 215.50 crore); Tirunelveli: Rs 120.40 crore (Rs 179 crore) and Trichy: Rs 579.22 crore (Rs 686.50 crore).

Textiles and petroleum products are the prime revenue earners in the Coimbatore zone's excise basket.

The excise duty realisation from these two commodities suffered a dent, due to the removal of the mandatory `cenvat' duty on cotton textile goods in July last by the Centre and the lowering of the excise duty incident on petroleum products again by the Central Government in August to prevent the price hike on consumers.