Taiwanese store prints wrong receipt, almost owes government NT$200,000 in taxes

台灣商店誤開發票，需向政府繳交將近新台幣20萬元的稅金

Mistake regarding several sticky rice balls could have disproportionately cost business


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A receipt showing a customer buying three sticky rice balls for over NT$4 million was returned to the store of its origin, bringing a sense of relief to all the clerks, especially the one who made the mistake on the invoice.

The Hualien-based chain store, specialized in sticky rice balls, has a branch at National Highway 5’s Suao Service Area. On Sunday afternoon, a customer was buying three gelatinous treats from the store, which in total cost NT$54 (US$ 1.9), when a young clerk bungled the use of the cashier register, entering the amount of NT$4,000,054 for the purchase.

The sales tax for an NT$54 transaction is only NT$2.7 for the store. However, the sales tax for an NT$4,000,054 transaction would amount to NT$199,998, according to CNA. The gravity of her mistake reportedly drove the clerk to tears.

The rice ball chain falls under the management of the FamilyMart location at the same service area. At around 4 p.m. on the day of the incident, a manager there detected transactional abnormalities and urgently notified the other clerks.

As per the regulations of the National Taxation Bureau, the store needed to present the incorrect receipt in order to file for a correction of the sales tax for the transaction.

The store began to look for the fateful customer on Monday, releasing the relevant surveillance footage in the hopes of reclaiming the critical receipt.

The owner of the business said on Wednesday that the customer, surnamed Lee (李), saw the news and voluntarily contacted the clerks. Lee said that the news was covered by so many media outlets that she was notified by her friends.

On Wednesday afternoon, the owner visited Lee, who lives in Yilan, and presented her with gifts as a show of gratitude.