Government to Implement Lottery Scheme to Encourage Consumers to Request Bills

The government is set to introduce a lottery scheme linked to value-added tax (VAT) bills starting from the upcoming fiscal year to motivate consumers to ask for purchase bills. Under the new budget proposal, consumers making purchases through digital payments will receive a 10 percent VAT discount at the time of invoice issuance. The Internal Revenue Department aims to formalize business transactions and boost revenue through this initiative by developing procedural guidelines. Kathmandu, 4 June.

The government is preparing to roll out the lottery scheme on VAT bills from the next fiscal year. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle announced in the budget that when consumers pay digitally, businesses will issue invoices with a 10 percent VAT discount. Minister Wagle also stated that the VAT refund system will be automated, and attractive initiatives such as lotteries will be introduced to promote the culture of issuing and collecting bills in goods and service transactions.

Prakash Paudel, the Director of the Internal Revenue Department, commented, “The previous lottery program failed due to limited consumer awareness, which hindered improvements in the practice of requesting or issuing bills.” He added, “However, consumer awareness has increased now, and due to the electricity sector’s involvement, this program appears likely to be effective.” This scheme is expected to streamline billing processes during goods and services transactions and help regulate informal business operations.

Paudel emphasized that the scheme will be effective in curbing the practice of not providing bills when requested by consumers and consumers’ reluctance to ask for bills. He also indicated that in the coming days, consumers’ invoices will be entered into the lottery system, and some consumers will receive prizes worth millions of rupees daily. The Ministry of Finance has already allocated budget provisions for this initiative.