The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Thursday approved an additional expenditure of Rs.4.42 billion for full computerisation of the income tax department.

This is in addition to an earlier amount of Rs.2.52 billion sanctioned in December 2002.

"The additional funds are needed to meet the enhanced requirements relating to single national database as part of the sanctioned project for full computerisation of the income tax department and running it for five years," an official statement said after the CCEA meeting.

Full computerisation would help to create a database for identifying those not filing their returns and detecting tax evasion, thereby raising the revenue collection, the official statement said.