KATHMANDU: A consumer who purchased goods worth just Rs 250 has won the Rs 1 million bumper prize under the government’s newly launched Taxpayer Incentive Gift Program announced through the current fiscal year’s budget.
According to Inland Revenue Department Director General Dr. Bhishma Kumar Bhusal, the winning purchase was made at Shiva Krishna General Store and became the first bumper winner of the scheme for the month of Shrawan.
The program was formally launched on Friday. One consumer won the Rs 1 million bumper prize, while 15 other consumers won Rs 100,000 each.
The winners for the first half of Shrawan (Shrawan 1–15, 2083) were announced during a special event held at the Ministry of Finance.
The department said a total of 16 winners were selected: one daily winner for each of the 15 days and one bumper winner for the entire fortnight. Daily winners will receive Rs 112,374 before tax deductions, while the bumper winner will receive Rs 1 million.
Winners were selected using a “cryptographically secured uniform random sampling” system. Bhusal said the process is fully computerized, with no human intervention or discrimination, ensuring fairness and transparency.
During Shrawan 1–15, the department received records of 7,077 cash transactions worth a total of Rs 82.4 million involving 3,915 sellers.
In the same period, online payment transactions exceeded 25.6 million. Transactions worth Rs 76.60 billion conducted through online payment systems are automatically included in the reward program and do not require separate registration.
The department has published the winning coupon numbers and brief details on its website, but has not disclosed the full names or mobile numbers of the winners in order to protect personal privacy.
Consumers who win prizes must claim their rewards within 15 days by visiting the nearest Inland Revenue Office.
The government introduced the program to encourage consumers to ask for and accept bills and invoices during purchases, with the broader goal of formalizing the economy, improving transparency, and strengthening Value Added Tax (VAT) as a sustainable source of revenue.
