Punjab Excise & Taxation has introduced a new system to fight bogus car transfers. Details suggest that a twofold security mechanism will prevent excise personnel from using passwords without authorization. Vehicle transfer or token tax payment in Punjab will trigger an SMS to the citizen’s phone.
Excise authorities claimed that SMS would notify owners of token tax or other transactions. The owner can promptly notify Excise of false transfers or unknown transactions.
To start the system, the users will receive a One Time Password (OTP) on their phones. The OTP will register thee phone number and block any suspicious activity in the users’ profiles in the future.
The excise officials told the media that thousands of unowned cars are transferred annually. Biometrics have already reduced bogus transfers while double SMS and password security will prevent them further. Punjab will launch the new system in two weeks.
Action Against Illegal Transfer
Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab has pointed out major car registration irregularities by excise officers. non-custom paid (NCP) and auctioned automobiles were also registered on fraudulent documents from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. However, forgers used database loopholes to illegally register additional vehicles.
Illegal automobile registration has cost the government hundreds of millions of rupees. The Federal Tax Ombudsman directed (ACE) to file investigations against Excise and Taxation Department officers for the “illegal registration” of over 6,000Â NCP automobiles.
