Chinese abuse public money through fake invoices
Staff Reporter 2012-10-09 11:45
People shop at a store in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, the first day of China's Golden Week and the nationwide shopping craze that ensued. (Photo/CNS)
As Beijing expects the weeklong national holiday to boost its sluggish consumption, many people asked the shops to give counterfeit invoices for personal daily consumption to apply for reimbursement with the government later, reports Chinese-language newspaper the Nanfang Daily.
Many supermarkets at the gas stations in Guangzhou in China's southern province of Guangdong would give customers invoices even if they did not spend money on gas or other merchandise, a local resident surnamed Lin told the Guangzhou-based newspaper.
"We can print an invoice for gas if you buy anything in our store," many cashiers at gas stations said to customers during the national holiday, which officially started on Oct. 1 but earlier began due to the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lin said it is unreasonable given the goods at the stores of gas stations cost at least 10% more than the counterparts in other supermarkets. "People will not do shopping at the gas stations unless meeting an emergency," Lin was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
A reporter of the daily stayed at one store for nearly half an hour, witnessing nine customers asked invoices for gas even they bought other goods, while the cashiers met their demands.
Customers who asked for gas invoices are usually public servants who use the invoices for reimbursement, a cashier at a gas station told the daily.
Gas stations are not independent cases, while many online stores promise to issue invoice for anything designated by customers.
A graduate student surnamed Wang at Jinan University recently bought a pair of sneakers at a famous online store but received an invoice of books to reimburse with the university.
"The online store will issue any invoice you want," Wang said. A lot of students did even they did not buy books in fact, Wang added.
Some online shops even offer options of names of invoice for customers as they pay the online bills. It is easy to buy two packs of tea but get an invoice for books, according to the daily,
A woman surnamed Wu who works in a university in Guangzhou told the newspapers many professors use their budget for research on articles for daily use. A professor ever bought ten bags of high-quality rice one time, but reimbursed the spending in the name of buying books, Wu said.
Some scalpers take advantage of the phenomenon to collect receipts of small amount from customers at the exits of stores, and asked the store to issue an invoice for these collected receipts. The invoices will be sold to people or companies who needed. The authorities warned sales of invoice and issue of counterfeit invoice violate the criminal law.
