KARACHI: The Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) on Thursday held the third computerised prize ballot draw of verified Point of Sale (POS) invoices in Karachi, marking a major jump in public participation and underlining the tax authority’s push for greater transparency, digital compliance and documentation of the retail economy.
The SRB officials said the prize ballot initiative was beginning to deliver encouraging results in promoting tax transparency and customer verification of retail transactions.According to an official statement, the event was attended by tax consultants, advisers and representatives of the media, while 76 prizes were announced for lucky winners who had verified their invoices through the board’s digital systems.
The prizes included a 1300cc car, motorcycles, televisions, refrigerators, tablets, mobile phones, smart watches and cash rewards, making the scheme one of the most visible public-facing efforts to encourage consumers to insist on documented retail purchases.
A key highlight of the draw was the sharp increase in verified invoices. The SRB said a total of 90,937 verified invoices were included in the third draw, compared with only 3,260 and 8,734 invoices in the first and second draws, respectively, a rise that reflects growing public awareness and participation in the POS verification mechanism.
The statement said Chairperson of SRB Dr Wasif Ali Memon gave a detailed presentation on the prize scheme and emphasised the transparency of the computerised balloting process.Under the initiative, the POS invoicing systems of retail and service-oriented businesses, including restaurants and similar establishments, are integrated with the SRB’s computerised system for real-time invoice reporting. Customers can verify the authenticity of invoices either by scanning the QR code, checking the SRB invoice number, using the eSRB App, or through the SRB website.
The tax authority expressed the hope that, with the continued success of the scheme, customers would increasingly demand POS-integrated invoices and verify them regularly, a move expected not only to improve transparency in tax collection but also to help boost provincial tax receipts.
