Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: The state's tax collection has climbed by 15.49 per cent by the end of the April-July financial quarter as compared to the corresponding period last year.

The state has been able to collect Rs 9,807.48 crore by the end of July. It remains to be seen whether the state will achieve its target of collecting Rs 26,800 crore as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the new tax regime that came into effect in July.

'In the financial year 2017-18, the state government has set a target for collecting of Rs 26,800 crore. By the end of July, the state has collected Rs 7,506.77 crore as tax and Rs 2,300.71 crore as non-tax revenue. The non-tax revenue has gone up by 30.62 per cent,' finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera told the Assembly today.

He said that under sales tax, the state government had set a target of collecting Rs 15,840 crore, and by July, Rs 4,112 crore was collected - more than by 25.96 per cent as compared to last year.

Similarly, the state government has collected Rs 920 crore as entry tax, up by 41.82 per cent.

When it comes to professional tax, the state also collected Rs 59.23 crore, up by 30.37 per cent. The state government intends to collect Rs 194.99 crore as professional tax this year.

Despite the ongoing agitation against liquor sale in various parts of the state by women, the state has been able to collect Rs 913.51 crore as tax in this sector, up by 25.38 per cent.

Under the taxes and duties on electricity, the state has collected Rs 596.51 crore, 33.14 per cent more than the corresponding period last year.

The government has also collected huge taxes under various heads, including those on vehicles, water rate and interest receipt as well as mining revenue. Despite the closure of a number of mines, the state has collected Rs 1,769.41 crore and intends to collect Rs 6,630 crore as mining revenue during this financial year.

The finance minister said: 'In order to expedite revenue collection, the state government is stressing on settling various cases relating to tax collection out of court.'

Maoist killed

A Maoist was killed and two jawans of an anti-insurgency force were injured in an encounter between the rebels and the security personnel in Kandhamal district.