GOI Launches 'Invoice Incentive Scheme' by Name “Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar” from 1st September, 2023
The Government of India, in association with State Governments, is launching an ‘Invoice incentive Scheme’ by the name ‘Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar’ to encourage the culture of customers asking for invoices/bills for all purchases.
OBJECTIVE: To bring a cultural and behavioural change in the general public to ‘Ask for a Bill’ as their right and entitlement.
The reason for the "Mera Bill Mera Adhikar" scheme is to bring about a cultural and behavioral change in the general public by encouraging them to ask for bills as their right. The scheme aims to address the issue of tax evasion and promote transparency in transactions by ensuring that businesses issue proper invoices to their customers. By incentivizing customers to ask for bills, the scheme aims to create awareness about the importance of maintaining proper records and contributing to the formal economy. The objective is to drive a cultural and behavioral shift among the public, promoting a sense of responsibility and accountability in financial transactions.
The details of the Scheme are as under:
Launch Date and Pilot States
The Scheme will be launched on 1st September, 2023.This scheme will initially be launched as a pilot in the States of Assam, Gujarat & Haryana and UTs of Puducherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
Eligibility and Invoice Details
All B2C invoices issued by GST registered suppliers (Registered in the States of Assam, Gujarat & Haryana and UTs of Puducherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) to consumers will be eligible for the scheme.
Minimum value for invoices to be considered for a lucky draw has been kept at Rs. 200.
Invoices can be uploaded on Mobile Application ‘Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar’ available on IOS and Android as well as on web portal ‘web.merabill.gst.gov.in’
All residents of India will be eligible to participate in this Scheme irrespective of their State/UT.
Lucky Draw and Prizes
Maximum 25 B2C invoices can be uploaded by an individual on App/web portal in a month to be considered for lucky draw & ARN will be generated for each uploaded invoices which will be used for the draw of prizes. (Invoices uploaded by 5th of the next month will be eligible for draw)
For Bumper prize, a quarterly draw will be conducted for all invoices uploaded in the last 03 months (till 5th of the month of the bumper draw) will be considered.
Duplicate uploads and invoices with inactive or fake GSTIN will be rejected by the system.
Alert/Notification to the winners will be made through SMS/push Notification on the app/web portal only.
Winning person will be requested to provide some additional information like PAN number, Aadhar Card, Bank Account Details, etc, through the app/web portal, within a period of 30 days from such date of informing them (date of SMS/App/Web Portal Notification), for enabling transfer of the winning prize to them through the said bank account.
This Pilot Scheme will run for a period of 12 months.
At the time of uploading the invoice, the participants would be required to provide the following details:
1. GSTIN of supplier
2. Invoice Number
3. Invoice Date
4. Invoice Value
5. State/UT of the customer
It is difficult to widespread awareness about the scheme among the general public, especially in rural areas where digital literacy may be low. Will incentivizing customers to ask for bills significantly impact the overall tax evasion problem in the country?
Let’s hope scheme implementation helps government to achieve its objective.
Mobile Application and Web Portal:
The mobile application is available for download on both iOS and Android platforms and links are given below.
a. Android Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gstn.msma
b. iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/mera-bill-mera-adhikaar/id6450875616
c. The web portal can be accessed at: https://web.merabill.gst.gov.in
User Manual: For ease of use and to guide taxpayers through the process of participating in the scheme via the mobile application or web portal, a detailed user manual is available at the link below for your reference:
User Manual Download Link:
https://tutorial.gst.gov.in/downloads/news/mbma_user_manual_18_august_2023_final.pdf
PRESS RELAESE: pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1951804
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