What The Taiwanese Government knows about Incentives & you should too

In 1950 the Taiwanese Government was struggling to increase their tax dollars with the limited amount of receipts being handed in by consumers.

By 1951 they had increased it by 75%. How did the Taiwanese Government do it?

The Taiwanese consumers were happy in 1950. They ate Wontons, and Chicken Cashew Nuts stirfry’s from street-side Tuk Tuks covered by a marquee made of old cotton sheets.

The Cashew’s tasted good, and wontons did too. It was the 50’s and people liked paying in cash. Their only option was to pay in cash, and they couldn’t give a flying f*** about collecting receipts.

The consumers were happy, and the restaurants were too. But the Government was concerned. It had limited tax revenue, and the only way it could stand up to its larger brother, China, was to get more money moving in the door.

And get more money at the door they did. By using simple consumer behavior, they were able to increase the tax dollars by 75% in one year.

In 1950 the Taiwanese Government made every receipt produced a free entry into the National Lottery. That meant that when old-mate finished his wontons and cleaned off the cashews, he went back to that little TokTok and said