Gross direct tax collection in the first six months of the financial year grew 16.7 per cent to Rs 5.47 lakh crore, Finance Ministry said Thursday. Refunds amounting to Rs 1.03 lakh crore have been issued during April 2018 to September 2018, which is 30.4 per cent higher than refunds issued during the same period in the preceding year. “The provisional figures of direct tax collections up to September 2018 show that gross collections are at Rs 5.47 lakh crore which is 16.7 per cent higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year,” the ministry said in a statement.