Former India captain MS Dhoni has reportedly topped a key income-tax list, adding yet another high-profile milestone beyond his cricketing career. During the 2025-26 financial year, the wicketkeeper-batter emerged as the leading individual taxpayer when figures from Jharkhand and Bihar are combined.
Dhoni named top individual taxpayer
The development was shared on Thursday in Ranchi by Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Bihar-Jharkhand), Dr D Sudhakara Rao, while speaking to the media. Rao said the overall tax collection from the two states for 2025-26 was close to Rs 20,000 crore, with Jharkhand accounting for roughly Rs 12,000 crore of that total.
Rao also confirmed that Dhoni headed the individual taxpayer chart across both states in that period. He, however, did not provide the precise tax amount paid by the former India skipper, while reiterating that Dhoni had been the highest individual taxpayer when Bihar and Jharkhand were considered together for the previous financial year as well.
Quick facts
- Total tax collection from Bihar and Jharkhand in 2025-26: around Rs 20,000 crore
- Tax collected from Jharkhand in 2025-26: around Rs 12,000 crore
- Dhoni named the highest individual taxpayer combining Bihar and Jharkhand
- Jharkhand’s share of combined collections: nearly 60%
- Approximate contribution through TDS: around 70%
- Major corporate taxpayers mentioned: Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), CMPDI
- PAN holders across both states: nearly 5.5 crore; active return filers: around 40 lakh
Jharkhand drives collections; mining affected
Rao’s comments also highlighted how Jharkhand remains the bigger contributor to the combined revenue pool. He pointed out that Jharkhand alone makes up close to 60% of the total tax gathered from Bihar and Jharkhand together.
Officials further said that approximately 70% of the overall inflows came through Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). Among corporate entities, Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), and CMPDI were cited among the leading taxpayers.
Despite the figures, officials acknowledged that the mining sector in Jharkhand faced disruptions during the financial year due to heavy rainfall. They said this had an adverse effect on collection totals, and added that efforts are underway to push the next-year target higher.
Rao said mining activity had been “a bit affected” by heavy rains, which in turn impacted the collections. He expressed hope that the current financial year would surpass the Rs 20,000 crore mark.
Gap between PAN holders and return filers
The tax department also flagged a significant mismatch between the number of people holding PAN cards and those actually filing income tax returns. Across Bihar and Jharkhand, officials said there are nearly 5.5 crore PAN holders, but only about 40 lakh people currently submit income tax returns.
With the return-filing base still relatively narrow, the department’s disclosures underline both the scale of the taxpayer gap and the potential for higher compliance going forward, even as collections are shaped by factors such as TDS flows and local economic activity.
