« Top Headlines » Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs  Good news for taxpayers: ITR forms updated to allow 87A tax rebate claims, but there's a catch  Top 10 income tax changes from 2024 to look out for while filing ITR in 2025  15 income tax rule changes in 2024 that will impact your ITR filing in 2025   How to check income tax return (ITR) status  Income tax rules: How much cash can you receive in one day to avoid an I-T notice?  Tax saving tips: How you can reduce tax burden under the new regime «  Cos tweak salaries to reduce FBT load... Tax sleuths raid real estate developers in Bangalore... » Consumer is king in Rajasthan's VAT compliance scheme June, 27th 2007 Consumers in Rajasthan can look forward to winning prizes worth up to Rs.10,000 simply by asking for a bill after any purchase as the state government launches next month a unique scheme to ensure better compliance of the value added tax (VAT). Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who also holds the finance portfolio, had announced the Dhanlaxmi Scheme in her budget speech in March. "The scheme will be implemented from July 1 in Jaipur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Bikaner regional headquarters," Minister of State for Finance Virendra Meena told IANS. The VAT system introduced in the state in 2006-07 functions on the basis of a cash memo, but some traders avoid the tax by not issuing a bill. The scheme is aimed at plugging the leakage in the tax collection, a senior finance department official said. Consumers taking a bill of a value above Rs.100 will be given coupons that can be deposited in boxes placed at offices of the Sales Tax Department and other places, he said. Winners will be selected through a draw of lots every fortnight in Jaipur and every month in other cities. There are 20 prizes of Rs.500 each and one prize of Rs.1,000, Rs.5,000 and Rs.10,000 each. "This scheme will help us in shoring up VAT revenues," he said.