Portugal's Tax Authority is to give away cars as prizes to those who submit invoice details on the Finanças web portal and whose numbers are subsequently picked in a new lottery scheme.
The draws are set to start in March 2014. The first draw will include invoices already logged from January 1st, 2014.
The Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, Paul Nuncio, said this morning that all invoices registered for any purchase will enable taxpayers to enter the draw for a car. His aim is to ‘involve all taxpayers in combating tax evasion.’
The cars on offer may not be new, showroom models but are likely to be cars seized from other taxpayers who could not pay their debts to the government.
The uptake by the public for the invoice registration scheme so far has been feeble as the benefit of a rebate on the participant’s tax bill was so small as to be risible.
It remains to be seen whether the greed of those entering the draw by logging invoices for purchases will be overcome by their distaste towards a government department giving away goods formerly owned by other taxpayers who were not so lucky.