China is reviving a lottery-style tax receipt program across 50 cities in an effort to revive weak consumer spending and tighten tax enforcement, reports Caixin. The six-month trial lets consumers enter prize drawings by requesting an official tax invoice—known as a fapiao — for purchases over RMB 100 ($14).
The initiative, outlined in documents from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and the State Taxation Administration, marks a renewed attempt to stimulate demand following a broader consumption push unveiled in March 2025. By reintroducing incentives for requesting invoices—a practice that fell off after 2016 tax reforms—officials are betting that gamifying the tax process can simultaneously drive spending and expose underreported sales in retail, dining, travel and other service industries.
Under the new rules, consumers who obtain a fapiao worth at least RMB 100 are eligible for lottery prizes of up to RMB 800. The list of pilot cities, open for public comment from January 23 to February 2, includes Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and Shenzhen.