New Delhi, May 5 -- The Centre's gross direct tax collection in 2025-26 was Rs.28.12 lakh crore as against Rs.27.03 lakh crore in FY25, registering 4.03% increase, but a tighter refund management saw net collection in FY26 rising by 5.12% to Rs.23.40 lakh crore, missing the budget target, according to the government data. Union Budget on February 1 envisaged total collections of direct taxes after refunds in 2025-26 at Rs.24,21,000 crore, but actual collections in the financial year ended March 31, 2026 was Rs.23,40,406 crore, leaving a shortfall of Rs.80,594 crore from the revised estimates (RE), the provisional data released on Monday, said. At the RE stage, the government had projected to collect net direct tax revenue of Rs.24.21 lakh c...