KATHMANDU, Aug 4: The government, which has adopted various measures to increase revenue collection and control tax evasion in the past, has now launched a program to attract consumers through rewards. The government has introduced a new method of controlling tax evasion by providing consumers with gifts ranging from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 1,000,000 based on the bills of purchased items.
Currently, businesses often do not provide bills to consumers even when they request them after making purchases. Some businesses even provide visiting cards instead of bills. This government measure is expected to create difficulties for businessmen who have been misleading the country's tax system and consumers by making profits from sales without issuing bills.
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD), after identifying this practice during market monitoring, has launched the ‘Taxpayer Incentive Gift Program’ with the aim of controlling tax evasion, documenting actual transactions, and developing a culture of asking for bills among consumers.
The IRD, which plans to maximize revenue collection by involving consumers through this attractive monetary gift scheme based on bill submissions, has called on all stakeholders across the country to mandatorily collect bills.
To ensure the success of this plan, the IRD has issued public notices through various media, urging consumers to submit original bills from their cash transactions, according to IRD’s Deputy Director General and Joint Secretary Janak Raj Sharma.
IRD officials say consumers who, from July 17 onward, have purchased goods or services worth more than Rs 100 in cash and received a valid PAN or Value Added Tax (VAT) bill are eligible to participate in this gift program. Many consumers have been attracted to this program as they can receive cash prizes every 15 days based on their submitted bills for cash purchases. The government has also launched a website, ‘prize.ird.gov.np’, to facilitate consumer participation.
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Providing more information about the website launched on Saturday, IRD’s Director General Sharma said, “Eligible consumers who have received bills for purchasing goods and services worth more than Rs 100 at a time within the country by paying in cash can visit this website and upload their bills.”
Similarly, consumers paying through QR codes will automatically be included in this gift program. The IRD has clarified that those who pay via QR codes must enter their bill details.
Likewise, the IRD has informed that consumers who have paid more than Rs 100 for goods and services through bank and wallet QR codes are not required to separately register their bills. QR transactions will be downloaded, and the transaction numbers will be entered into the IRD’s system, making them eligible for the gift. However, as a valid bill is required after the announcement of winners, the IRD has directed consumers to keep their bills safe.
To fully implement this program, the IRD has urged consumers to request VAT and PAN bills from businesses and inform the IRD if they do not receive one. For this purpose, the IRD plans to release the results of the first 15 days of the taxpayer incentive program this week. The results will include 15 winners of Rs 100,000 each and one bumper prize winner of Rs 1 million.
Earlier, the ‘Taxpayer Incentive Gift Program’ was announced in the budget for the current fiscal year 2026/27. According to Minister for Finance Dr Swarnim Waglé’s announcement while presenting the budget, the ministry approved the Taxpayer Incentive Gift Program Operation Procedure, 2026, in mid-July. The IRD has stated that, according to this procedure, one consumer will receive Rs 100,000 in cash every day, while one consumer will receive a bumper cash prize of Rs. 1 million every 15 days (two winners per month). Last Thursday, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) directed payment service providers to facilitate the program in an organized and effective manner.
The Payment Systems Department of the NRB has instructed institutions licensed to provide payment-related services to maintain interoperability in the electronic system for the gift program and inform their customers about the program in a timely manner. For this, all payment service providers must include a separate section containing frequently asked questions about the program in their mobile apps.
The NRB has instructed payment service providers to send notifications through mobile apps to inform customers about the program and prize distribution beginning this Thursday. The bank has stated that customers who need to update their mobile apps to participate in the program will be informed through notifications.
The level of participation in this new measure introduced by the NRB and IRD to encourage consumers to collect bills will become clear as the program progresses. Meanwhile, businesses that provide visiting cards instead of bills will now be required to issue invoices.
The IRD states that the government has launched this program with the aim of collecting billions of rupees in taxes from thousands of businesses that have been evading taxes.
The IRD claims that consumers themselves will be encouraged to demand bills as a result of the incentives. The government aims to collect more revenue than in previous years through this lucky draw program. With this objective, the program has been implemented, providing consumers with opportunities to win cash prizes daily or bi-monthly.
The IRD has stated that end consumers who purchase goods or services worth more than Rs 100 at a time within Nepal for personal use by paying in cash and receiving a tax invoice can participate in the program by entering purchase details on the IRD’s website.
A separate online portal has been launched for this program, the IRD said.
The IRD says participating consumers will receive a gift coupon after registering their bills. The gift coupon will be generated automatically after the bill details are entered into the website. The coupon number will be included in the lucky draw. After the winner is announced, they can claim their reward by submitting a photo of the relevant bill and necessary details. Separate arrangements have been made for cash and electronic payments.
Consumers making cash purchases must register their bills by entering the bill number, seller’s PAN number, date of issue, total amount paid, and their own name, mobile number and address.
As electronic payments made through QR codes or Visa cards will automatically be included in the system, separate details do not need to be filled in. The NRB has directed eSewa, Khalti and other licensed digital payment service providers to provide necessary technical support for the full implementation of the program.
Participants are warned that if they submit forged, altered, duplicated, false or unauthorized bills, their entries will not be approved, their coupons will be cancelled, and any rewards already provided will be recovered. They will also face legal action according to prevailing laws. Coupon codes received from digital payments can be viewed in the relevant bank or digital wallet app’s transaction description, notification, coupon or reward section.
