"Premyo sa Resibo (PSR) is an incentives and rewards program of the Bureau of Internal Revenue using SMS. Every entry gets a chance to win prizes instantly and valid for one (1) weekly and one (1) P1 Million draw, undertaken by the BIR in its efforts to plug leakages in the tax collection system."
The BIR made an ingenious way to submit your receipt as an entry through texting. Why ingenious? Because almost all Filipinos now own a cellphone. I tried this once and from then on, week after week I would get an SMS message urging me to send my entries even to extent as to giving me tips, ala lotto, on how to win. The link above explains in detail how to join.
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But know what, I did not join gain. Why? Because every entry would cost you P2.50 automatically deducted from your prepaid load. I mean, will you expect me to pay another P2.50 for each entry just so I can join a raffle? I am not a big fan of paid raffles after all.
One might come to think come on you little prune, it is just P2.50, surely that will not hurt your pocket. Well then imagine you have receipts totaling to 100 entries or more. That would already cost P250 or more depending on how many receipts you have. Would you still just text it all away not knowing if one would even win? Surely you would think several times before doing so.
What's more, I have already spent by buying a product, thus my receipt. Tax from my purchase is already collected by the BIR, assuming I received an official receipt. Why would I spend more for this program?
How about the rest of us who barely have enough to put on our table. That P250 can already feed a family for half a week.
How about others who still don't have a cellular phone? Because quiet frankly there are still some not to mention those who don't know how to text (I know a couple like my parents who only use theirs to recieve calls).
Does this mean that PSR is only for those who have extra money to spare? If that is the case, why would I even demand for my receipt? Well, there is that duty of ours to demand receipt so that BIR can properly account each and every transactions we make. But let's face it not all of us are that conscientious. Then this program has already defeated its own purpose.
So what then?
Why not follow the model of our nearest neighbor, Taiwan. What they have is, each and every receipt automatically entitles to be a part of the raffle. Raffles are done each quarter similar to the lotto and if the result matches your receipt number you win. Raffle results are also published as well as posted at each convenience stores. Even Yahoo! Taiwan picks up the numbers and publishes it in their site.
And like what PSR is doing now, there are also smaller prices. Some are worth NT$250 which is as good as cash at 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Hi-Life (convenience stores in Taiwan and they are practically at every corner like our sari-sari stores).
My Taiwanese friends once told me that they once don't care for receipts too. But since the introduction of the raffle everyone started demanding receipts to a point where it becomes part of their culture that now a store clerk would even come after you just to give you your receipt if you forgot to get it.
You go to Taipei 101 and there you will find some beggars. They are too timid to ask for money but they will ask for your receipts for they know that each one is a potential winner in the quarterly draw.
At every convenience stores, you will find see through donation boxes. There are those who drops their change but most of the content are receipts.
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