OTP leads to a drop in online property tax payments

Amidst the pandemic, Indians were observed to be inclined to move away from traditional methods of payments including cash and card to alternative options like e-Wallets. For our safety and security, the government of India introduced a campaign promoting cashless transactions making any payment easier and more convenient. 

After the introduction of a new feature in the software for security and authenticity, the online tax payment for property tax in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has dropped drastically. To know the exact amount of tax to be paid the payee must log in with their phone number and enter the OTP to be able to make the transaction securely. 

After the updated portal, the payments of debit/ credit cards, e-Wallets through the portal sought the phone number of the assessee. The OTP system, though introduced with a good intention has in a way backfired the GHMC with a decrease in the online payment of property tax. One of the most obvious reasons for this could be the inefficient server that couldn't cater to a large number of logins at the same time. 

Earlier the due protest tax amount could be known by entering the Property Tax Identification Number. The PTIN was believed to be used by officials for unauthorized access to details of Pragathi Bhavan’s Property tax. Although the transition was made to improve security, it was seen as a knee-jerk reaction in response to long-pending bills from the chief ministers' Camp office in Begumpet, Pragathi Bhavan. 

The daily figures via online mode were around 40 lakh, but they were massively reduced to 10-15 lakh. However, the overall figure garners over 2cr revenue per day through property tax. 

According to the officials, this feature is solely to maintain the security, the payees have shown their refute with the decreased statistics of the payment.