A real estate manager in Beijing on Monday became the first winner of a 5,000 yuan cash prize (605 US dollars), the biggest prize in a receipt lottery introduced early this month.
Wang Yang, manager of a real estate company, retrieved his prize from the local tax office in Chaoyang district saying: "I can't believe this is real."
Wang told Xinhua that he had invited his friends to a dinner ina restaurant and got an receipt after paying a 318 yuan (38 U.S. dollars) bill.
Beijing consumers are encouraged to ask for receipts from businesses with the lure of a lottery prize from one of seven categories, ranging from 100 yuan to 5,000 yuan.
Several other people before Wang have won lottery prizes and the tax office in Chaoyang district had paid 19,300 yuan (2,334 USdollars) in cash prizes by Aug. 16.
Tax officers said many people did not get receipts after havingdinner in a restaurant. As a result the tax department could not tell the real sales of restaurants through their accounts, leavingthe possibility of tax loopholes.
It is hoped that the receipt lottery will encourage the habit of keeping receipts, making tax evasion difficult. Enditem
(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2002)
