The booming economy and higher incomes enabled the exchequer to swell by over 40 per cent at Rs 2,28,745 crore through direct taxes till February 15, in the current fiscal.

With this, the Finance Ministry officials hoped that the direct tax mop up would exceed Rs 3 lakh crore (Rs 3 trillion), with robust collections expected during the remaining one-and-a-half months in the current fiscal.

Already, the net direct tax collections were over 85 per cent of budgeted direct tax target of Rs 2,67,490 crore. The net direct tax collections were up 41.40 per cent over Rs 1,61,776 crore during April-February 15, 2006-07, an official statement said in New Delhi.

While corporate tax registered a growth of 38.78 per cent at Rs 1,38,073 crore from Rs 99,488 crore during the last fiscal, the other component of direct tax -- personal income tax (including FBT, STT and BCTT) grew by 45.64 per cent at Rs 90,356 crore from Rs 62,040 crore.

The bullish stock market led to a whopping 84.64 per cent growth in the Securities Transaction Tax at Rs 7,878 crore against Rs 4,267 crore.

Fringe Benefit Tax was up 29.75 per cent at Rs 5,216 crore, against Rs 4,020 crore. Banking Cash Transaction Tax, imposed to keep a trail of black money, grew by 16.81 per cent to stand at Rs 478 crore against Rs 409 crore.

The Mumbai region recorded the highest overall growth of 65.97 per cent at Rs 83,363 crore, compared to Rs 50,227 crore during the same period last fiscal, contributing 36.86 per cent to the direct tax collections.

Among type of taxes, self-assessment tax (paid voluntarily before filing of tax return) recorded a growth of 62.9 per cent, while tax deducted or collected at source recorded a growth of 51.9 per cent.