In 1793 Pazhassi Raja made sure that no tax was collected in Kottayam by the British – as a mark of his protest. He also threatened that if British officials did not give up their enumeration of pepper vines, he would have the vines destroyed. Local British authorities, however, debated with Raja and soon both discovered Vira Varma's deceptions. The British put forward a solution acceptable to the Raja by which 20 percent of gross revenue would go to Raja and another 20 percent would go for temple expenses. No tax would be imposed on temple property in the immediate future.