With an aim to sensitise the public about the importance of tax revenue for development of the state, the Haryana government has introduced a new scheme known as ‘Apna Bill Apna Vikas’ to encourage the consumers to obtain bills from the sellers.

Haryana Excise and Taxation minister Captain Abhimanyu said that under the scheme, cash prizes would be given away to the consumers through the draw of lots, to be held on a monthly basis.

He said that any customer who has a copy of the original bill, cash memo or retail invoice for the purchases of goods from a registered dealer of Haryana would be eligible to participate in the draw of lots to be held under the scheme.

The total amount of the bill must be more than Rs 500, excluding the value of tax free goods. The scheme would be available only for B2C (Business to Consumers) transactions within the state, he added.

He said that for bills or invoices for the value of Rs 501 to 5,000, the number of prizes per month would be 10 or one per cent of the number of entries received during the month, whichever is higher. In case of bills or invoices for value of Rs 5,001 and above, the number of prizes would be one or one per cent (calculated by rounding off) of the number of entries received during the month.

The prize money for bills or invoices for the value of Rs 501 to 5,000 would be five times of the taxable value of goods purchased in the bill, subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000. The prize money for bills or invoices for the value of Rs 5,001 and above would be two times of the taxable value of goods purchased in the bill, subject to a maximum of Rs 50,000.

One customer would be eligible for one prize only during a month. The prize money will be directly credited to the bank account of the winner. In order to participate in the scheme, a customer would download the mobile phone compatible application namely 'Apna Bill Apna Vikas'. After installation of this app the customer would get himself registered.

The scheme would initially be launched for six months, but the government may extend its period on recommendation of the Commissioner. The scheme would not be available to registered dealers who purchase goods for resale or for use in manufacturing and processing of goods for sale.