Portugal's tax authority revealed today that more than 7.8 million consumers are in with a chance in the new draw in which two tickets each will win a luxury Audi car.
The Portuguese population has 'impressively matched the expectations’ of the taxman with the first draw taking place tonight, Thursday 17th April.
"More than 7.8 million Portuguese consumers are entitled to enter the sweepstake today, we find ourselves faced with a level of citizen involvement that goes beyond the most optimistic initial expectations," reads an internal document sent by the head of the tax authority, José Azevedo Pereira.
The Portuguese population not only has responded well to state bribery but, as Pereira points out that in his view, this draw 'raises awareness of their role in combating the underground economy and tax evasion.’
Portugal joins Slovakia as the only two eurozone countries with this type of draw where all taxpayers who request invoices with their tax reference number when buying any goods or services, automatically are eligible to participate in the draw.
The draw is based on the overall value of each invoice submitted, not according to the number of invoices i.e. a taxpayer who submits invoices totaling €100 in the month is entitled to ten entries in the raffle.
Detractors have pointed out that the in addition to selling more cars, the new draw gives Audi free publicity, the cost of running a prize car is several hundred euros a month, the tax office is turning the nation’s consumers into tax snoops and that the information submitted will be used for purposes for which it was not intended, e.g. the tracking of consumer expenditure against reported income levels.
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About half of this countries work force were never registered for tax. More worryingly now intend claiming a pension they never paid into ....