New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) The number of tax payers filing income tax returns has more than doubled to 7.78 crore in the past 10 years, as per government data.

Releasing key statistics, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Tuesday said the number of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed in FY23 stood at 7.78 crore, showing an 104.91 per cent increase as compared to the 3.8 crore ITRs filed in 2013-14.

Also Read | Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Says Government To Invest Rs 1.25 Lakh Crore To Build 200 Ropeway Projects Under Parvatmala Pariyojana.

During the same period, the net direct tax collections increased 160.52 per cent from Rs 6,38,596 crore in FY14 to Rs 16,63,686 crore in 2022-23, it said.

The government has budgeted to collect Rs 18.23 lakh crore from direct taxes (personal income tax and corporate tax) -- 9.75 per cent higher than Rs 16.61 lakh crore mopped up last fiscal.

Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Missing Woman Teacher Deepika Found Killed, Body Buried in Mandya's Remote Area.

According to CBDT data, gross direct tax collections increased 173.31 per cent to Rs 19,72,248 crore in FY23 from Rs 7,21,604 crore in FY14.

At the same time direct tax-to-GDP ratio went up from 5.62 per cent to 6.11 per cent.

The cost of collection, however, has decreased from 0.57 per cent of total collection in FY14 to 0.51 per cent of the total collection in the previous fiscal.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)