Electronic toll collection in India reaches record Rs 6,115 crore in October

NEW DELHI New Delhi: Electronic toll collection in the country rose to a record Rs 6,114.92 crore in October this year due to a spurt in economic activity during the festive month, according to the latest data compiled by the government. The collection is the highest ever in a month since compilation of electronic toll data began in 2021 and represents a growth of 7.6 per cent over the monthly average of Rs 5,681.46 crore in the previous six months, official data showed.

The total electronic toll collection in the country in the first six months of this fiscal year stood at Rs 34,088.77 crore, up 9.8 per cent from Rs 31,026.64 crore a year ago.The rise in toll collection is also supported by the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) data on e-way bill generation for transport of goods across the country, which reached a record high of 11.7 crore during October, showing a growth of 17 per cent over the same month last year.

The rise in e-way bills reflects a rise in economic activity as the manufacturing sector ramps up to meet the rising demand in the economy during the festive season. A sharp rise in e-way bills leads to increased tax revenue in a fast-growing economy, leaving more resources in the hands of the government to invest in large infrastructure projects to boost growth and run its social welfare schools to uplift the poor.

India’s goods and services tax (GST) collection rose to Rs 1.87 lakh crore in October, the second-highest monthly revenue since the GST system was introduced in 2017. The figure represents a growth of 8.9 per cent over the same month last year and is up from the Rs 1.73 lakh crore collection in September, which grew 6.5% year-on-year.