Cambodia\'s General Department of Taxation has collected 678 million U.S. dollars of tax in the first nine months of the year, up 16 percent compared with the same period last year, said a news release Friday. The revenues came from tax on profit, withholding tax, tax on salary, VAT, special tax on certain merchandises and services, turnover tax, vehicle tax, patent tax and property tax. In September alone, the department earned 72 million U.S. dollars in tax, up 21 percent compared with the same month last year. Speaking in a monthly meeting on Friday, Kong Vibol, director general of the General Department of Taxation, hailed officials for their efforts in collecting taxes and urged them to continue promoting tax law to individuals and companies in order to encourage them to pay taxes. The country earned the tax of 740 million U.S. dollars last year, up 25 percent year-on-year.