ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The income tax returns for the year 2001-02 have registered less than expected growth of 0.41 per cent as it stood at 0.979 million this year against 0.975 million filed by taxpayers over the corresponding year.

According to the provisional figures compiled up to October 15, by the Central Board of Revenue against those compiled up to Sept 31, 2001, the amount the taxpayers deposited with income tax returns stood at Rs1.712 billion this year against Rs2.395 billion during the same period last year, showing a decrease of 28.51 per cent.

Member Direct Taxes and CBR official spokesman, Vakil Ahmed Khan said that this year it was expected that the tax returns would touch the figure of one million by end of current month.

Mr Khan claimed that less revenue deposited by the taxpayers reflecting better monitoring of withholding tax as a result of which tax due with income tax returns declined.

However, he said that by end of current month the revenue amount would also touch the figure of Rs2 billion.

Region wise break-up of the tax returns showed, that in Southern Region up to Oct 15, as many as 0.368 million income tax returns were filed in the year 2001-02, against 0.346 million tax returns filed last year, showing an increase of 6.358 per cent. And revenue with the tax returns during the same period deposited stood at Rs367 million this year against Rs502 million in the previous year, showing a decrease of 26.89 per cent.

In the Eastern Region, 0.167 million tax returns were filed this year against 0.164 million over the corresponding year, showing an increase of 1.82 per cent, while the revenue deposited with tax returns during the same period stood at Rs428 million this year against Rs735 million last year, showing a decrease of 41.76 per cent.

According to the statistics, the returns filed in the Northern Region stood at 0.236 million this year against 0.243 million filed last year, a decrease of 2.88 per cent. And the revenue deposited by the taxpayers in the same region stood at Rs356 million against Rs365 million last year, showing a decrease of 2.46 per cent.