Interim Budget 2024: Govt pegs non-tax revenue from communications at Rs 1.20 lakh cr for FY25

New Delhi: The government has pegged non-tax revenue collection estimates from the communications sector at about Rs 1.20 lakh crore for 2024-25 and expects to exceed the budget estimates for the current fiscal.

As per the interim budget document, the government has revised the revenue estimate from ‘other communication services' for the current fiscal to Rs 93,541.01 crore from the earlier projection of Rs 89,469.17 crore mentioned in the previous budget. The revenue collections for 2024-25 are seen at Rs 1,20,267.31 crore.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim Budget on Thursday. The full Budget will be presented by the new government after the Lok Sabha elections.

The actual revenue receipts of the government in 2022-23 were Rs 64,835.17 crore. The non-tax revenue receipts from the other communication services mainly relate to licence fees from telecom operators and receipts on account of spectrum usage charges.

The Department of Telecom collects recurring licence fees from various telecom service providers licensed by it. The licence fee is levied at eight per cent of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) after the allowable deduction like Public Switched Telecom Network (PSTN) charges, roaming charges passed on to eligible/entitled service providers and Sales Tax/ Service Tax passed on to the State or Central Government from its total revenue figures.

According to official sources, the collections from communications surpassed estimates for the current fiscal mainly on account of advanced payment from Bharti Airtel and receipt of dues from state-run Bharat Sanchat Nigam Ltd (BSNL).