New data from the income tax department shows that the average gross total income for individual taxpayers in India has increased by 56% from Rs 4.5 lakh in the assessment year (AY) 2013-14 to about Rs 7 lakh in AY 2021-22. The contribution of the top 1% of individual taxpayers to the total gross income has decreased from 15.9% to 14.6% during the same period, while the contribution of the bottom 25% has increased slightly from 8.3% to 8.4%. The middle 74% of individual taxpayers now contribute 77% of the gross total income. The number of income tax return filings has surged by 90% in the last eight years, with a total of 7.41 crore returns filed for AY 2023-24, including 53 lakh first-time filers, reflecting a broadening tax base due to reform measures. The rise in returns spans various income ranges, with significant increases in the number of filers in the Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh income brackets. Among the top 1% of individual taxpayers, the average gross total income has increased by 42%, while the bottom 25% has seen a 58% increase.