New Delhi: The multi-banking scheme for the Central Excise Commissionerates, enabling tax payers to remit the customs and excise duties through any public sector bank, would be operationalised across the country by October, a top government official said.

Apart from this, discussions were held at "higher levels" for allowing private banks to collect the customs and excise duties, principal chief controller of accounts H Prabhakar Rao told reporters after launching the scheme.

"The scheme will be made operational across the country by October," he said, adding that right now only one bank was assigned to one commissionerate.

From now on, SBI (State Bank of India) and Bank of Baroda in Delhi would be allowed to collect such taxes, besides Punjab National Bank, which was the only bank mandated so far.

Launching the multi-banking scheme, revenue secretary C S Rao said it would be access friendly, since as of now only one bank had been assigned to one commissionerate and to that extent it would give assesses wider choice and reduce the transaction costs.

At present, around 20 public sector banks were allowed to collect excise and customs through almost 90 commissionerates across the country.

SBI and 32 such branches of Bank of Baroda, the principal commissioner said, adding, "we might even expand (the number of banks) further."

PTI