Portugal’s Tax Authority is working on a computer programme that will assign a unique number to each receipt issued in a scheme to offer the public lottery style prizes for registering their purchases.
The collaboration with the Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa involves developing the computer programme to assign a number to each invoice issued from January 1st, and then a way of holding a monthly draw.
According to the authorities this lottery will be one of the 'major instruments to combat fraud and tax evasion next year.'
The computer buffs are developing an algorithm that will assigned a number to each invoice when it is registered on the Finanças web portal. This number then will be entered in a free draw.
Few have bothered registering their purchases from hairdressers, car workshops and restaurants in the current scheme to encourage retail tax compliance as the amount of VAT recoverable by the purchaser, when balanced against the time and trouble needed to input the information, has held little appeal. When the new scheme's prizes are announced it can be seen whether this additional level of cash bribery will be successful.
The invoice registration scheme so far has been a failure despite government puff to the contrary. It also remains to be seen if the new lottery scheme can safely be up and running within the next 5 days.
