Bengaluru, July 23 -- In Bengaluru, a growing number of small shopkeepers have removed UPI payment options such as PhonePe, Paytm, and Google Pay QR codes from their stores, reverting exclusively to cash transactions.

This shift comes amid widespread concern that digital payments via UPI are making their incomes more transparent, potentially exposing them to higher scrutiny from GST authorities.

Many vendors believe that UPI transaction records, visible to tax officials, could become a tool for audits and demands for additional tax payments.

Consequently, to conceal sales and minimise tax risks, they are withdrawing digital payment facilities.

This movement highlights deeper anxieties about taxation among small business operators, par...