fapiao… fapiao… fapiao… 发票。。。发票。。。i发票。。。
When you make a major purchase at a shop, pay a bill, etc. in China, you can always ask for an official receipt, or fapiao 发票.
Fapiao are issued by the government, so when a merchant gives you one as proof of purchase, it means the shop will pay tax on that sale. Needless to say, shops almost never offer you a fapiao after a purchase unless you request. Some even give you discounts if you “don’t need it.”
For major purchases, it’s often in a customer’s interest to ask for the fapiao as they can use it for tax purposes. For smaller purchases (like at a restaurant) it’s often a hassle.
To encourage more customers to ask for fapiao for small purchases (like moderately priced restaurants), the government introduced a scratch and win game on it.
Scratch the prize area, and you can win 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, or even more RMB! I’ve won 5 RMB a couple of times, but not for years now.
If you don’t win oh well, maybe next time… but at least the government did!
Note: The title comes from the ladies that hang outside certain areas of the city and sell fake fapiao for 10% of the receipt’s face value. You know they’re selling because they constantly whisper fa piao… fa piao… fa piao… when you walk past them.
