Why you might want to keep your receipts when you shop in Taiwan
Most shopping receipts in Taiwan are also tickets for a lottery run every second month by the government to increase tax compliance, and there are some big prizes up for grabs.
When shopping in Taiwan, people will almost always be asked the same question after paying — would you like a receipt?
If you say no and tell the sales assistant they can keep it, there's a good chance they will.
Many Taiwanese people collect stacks of these receipts, waiting for a bimonthly draw when one of the small slips of paper might just land them a jackpot.
Others keep an eye out for notifications on their lottery app.
For an overseas visitor, Taiwan's receipt lottery scheme is often one of the first quirks they discover about the country.
Taiwan has been running the system since 1951 with a draw on the 25th day of every second month.
There are eight prize categories ranging from the "special" prize of $NT10 million ($480,000) down to one worth just $NT200($10).
Taiwan was the first country to introduce the receipt lottery as a way to combat tax evasion.
Other countries including Brazil, Portugal, Czechia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia have seen its success and implemented similar schemes.
Almost every receipt from a shop in Taiwan is also a lottery ticket. (Reuters: Ann Wang)
How does the receipt lottery work?
At the top of receipts for goods or services is a random, unique string of eight numbers.
It doesn't matter if the purchase was an iced matcha latte or a Lamborghini — as long as the transaction generates a receipt it's game on.
There are a few exceptions including public transport, medical care, and goods bought from small operators like street vendors.
If the numbers atop the receipt match those drawn in the lottery, holders can win prizes up to nearly $500,000. (ABC News Graphic: Jarrod Fankhauser)
The lottery is run every odd month by the Ministry of Finance, with multiple sets of numbers drawn.
To win the big prize, all eight digits on a receipt have to match those of the special prize numbers draw.
There are multiple prize tiers for receipts with partially matching numbers — the prize money decreases in value with fewer matching numbers.
For the smaller prizes there are thousands of winners, but not everyone bothers collecting.
Winners have three months to claim their money, with small amounts able to be picked up from convenience shops.