Tax payers may win prizes
Tax payers may win prizes
In a bid to encourage more people to contribute to the tax system, the Vientiane Tax Department will circulate lucky scratch-off tax and VAT invoices by the beginning of next month in place of existing invoices.
The objective of the scheme is to entice people to participate in the tax system by using invoices to record payments, with the incentive of generous prizes.
Speaking at a press conference in Vientiane on Tuesday, the department's Acting Director, Mr Bounthong Man-Anong, said the initiative has been planned in Vientiane since the end of 2013.
He explained that the scheme would result in more taxes being paid as well as making tax collection more transparent.
“We do hope this system will boost the country's overall income and swell the government's coffers,” Mr Bounthong said.
“Vientiane is the centre of economic development and investment so the Ministry of Finance and the Vientiane authorities recognise the importance of accurate and full tax payments. They assigned this initiative to the Vientiane Tax Department.”
Similar projects have been rolled out in China and Taiwan with satisfactory results, boosting national revenue through the collection of more taxes.
Mr Bounthong said US$6 million had been spent on the project, to buy modern equipment, print the invoices, and buy prizes worth a total of 140 billion kip.
The project office is located on Asean (T2) Road in Vientiane.
Users of this system will receive a scratch card along with their invoice. If the value of any prize revealed on the scratch card is less than 200,000 kip, purchasers will be able to collect their prize at the point of sale. If the prize is worth more than 200,000 kip, they can collect it at branches of the BC and BK companies in Vientiane.
The biggest prize is land and a house, followed by a Mercedes Benz, BYD car, pick-up truck, Iphone 6, and many more prizes.
“People whose scratch card does not reveal a prize can send their serial number to 6888 via the SMS of four telecom companies. They will be given another chance to win a prize through a random computer draw held every three days,” Mr Bounthong said.
This fiscal year, the Vientiane Tax Department is aiming to collect 960 billion kip in taxes and has so far accumulated 14 percent of this figure. Taxes paid in the capital last year amounted to 653 billion kip.
More than 200 people have been employed to work on this project to ensure it runs smoothly and is beneficial to both businesses and individuals.
“We will run the project for three years and it will be assessed by the Ministry of Finance,” Mr Bounthong said, adding that any expansion of the scheme would depend on the ministry.
