SUMMARY

Former India cricket team captain M S Dhoni was the highest individual taxpayer across Bihar and Jharkhand in the previous financial year, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax for Bihar and Jharkhand Dr D Sudhakara Rao said in Ranchi on May 7. Rao also said the Income Tax Department collected around Rs 20,000 crore from the two states during the 2025-26 financial year.

Addressing reporters, Rao said around Rs 12,000 crore of the total collection came from Jharkhand alone. He said nearly 70 per cent of the total collection was received through tax deduction at source. Rao said he would not disclose Dhoni's net tax return.

Another official said Central Coalfields Limited, Bharat Coking Coal Limited and CMPDI were among the highest corporate taxpayers. Rao said mining activity was affected by heavy rains during the previous financial year and that this had an impact on collections. He said the department hoped to cross the Rs 20,000 crore mark in tax collection during the current financial year.

Rao also said Bihar and Jharkhand have around 5.5 crore PAN card holders, but only 40 lakh file returns. The latest tax collection figures for the two states, along with the disclosures on the top individual and corporate taxpayers, were among the key announcements made by officials in Ranchi.

Earlier, Rao held a meeting with Income Tax officers on the new Income Tax Act, 2025, which comes into effect from April 1 and will replace the six-decade-old Income Tax Act, 1961. More than 100 officers from Bihar and Jharkhand took part in the meeting.

Rao said, "The new Act marks a shift towards greater clarity and ease of compliance through simple language, a streamlined structure and a reader-friendly presentation, without changing the underlying tax policy." He added that several outreach programmes would be held in Bihar and Jharkhand to spread awareness and explain the details of the new tax law to bankers, PSUs and others.

The announcements in Ranchi brought together the department's collection details for Bihar and Jharkhand, the identification of the top taxpayers and preparations for outreach on the new Income Tax Act, 2025.

Published on: May 8, 2026 8:30 AM IST