Portugal creates receipt lottery to fight tax evasion

Bailed-out Portugal announced Thursday the launch of a so-called receipt lottery to discourage tax evasion, hoping the lure of a car will encourage shoppers to insist on getting receipts.

Beginning in April, residents in the eurozone member country will be able to register receipts for a weekly drawing for a car.

The measure aims to cut down on sales-tax evasion and follows the introduction of a similar lottery in Slovakia last year.

Portugal has hiked taxes and cut benefits as part of its EU-IMF bailout, fuelling an underground economy that was already estimated to account for a quarter of the official economy when the country entered the rescue programme in 2011.

Malta and Taiwan also have similar lotteries.