After more than a year and a half on hold, the ‘Fatura da Sorte’ lottery is set to be relaunched in a “new format,” the government has announced.
A “New Format” is Coming
An official from the Ministry of Finance confirmed that “the government will resume the ‘Fatura da Sorte’ lottery with a new format.”
The new format is expected to be announced “by the end of the current year, and only invoices issued from the date of that announcement will be eligible,” stated an official source from the ministry led by Joaquim Miranda Sarmento.
An official from RTP confirmed that the ‘Fatura da Sorte’ program has been “suspended upon the indication of the Tax and Customs Authority (AT)” since January 2024, and the public broadcaster has no information on when it will return.
“We have no indication of when it will resume,” a spokesperson from the public channel said, referring any further questions on the matter to the AT.
On January 4, 2024, when the tax administration announced the “temporary suspension” of the lottery on its website, awaiting the fulfillment of “legal requirements related to the respective procedure,” an official from the Ministry of Finance of the then António Costa (PS) government indicated that the lottery would be “resumed as soon as possible.”
The ‘Fatura da Sorte’ lottery is temporarily suspended, awaiting the fulfillment of necessary legal requirements, the Tax and Customs Authority announced this Friday.
As the prizes are Treasury Certificates (public debt securities), their allocation to winners requires coordination between the AT and the Public Debt and Treasury Management Agency (IGCP) through protocols.
At the time of suspension, a source from the Finance Ministry of the socialist government anticipated that the missing draws would be conducted during the period of temporary suspension.
What Happens to Invoices Issued So Far?
However, when asked about what will happen to the coupons of taxpayers who have been requesting invoices with their Tax Identification Numbers (NIF), hoping they will count for the lottery, the current government of Luís Montenegro responded only on the new contest, stating that only invoices issued from the date of the announcement, to be made by the end of 2025, will be eligible.
Currently, on the taxpayers’ personal page, the AT informs that the invoices they request daily are counted for the lottery.
To taxpayers who authorized their inclusion in the lottery, the Finance Portal provides the following information: “Your invoices participate in the ‘Fatura da Sorte’ lottery.”
On the page, it states that “under article 3, section 7, of Ordinance No. 44-A/2014, the taxpayer can choose to exclude their invoices from the ‘Fatura da Sorte’ lottery, and this option takes effect regarding invoices issued from the date it is expressly communicated to the AT.”
How Did ‘Fatura da Sorte’ Start?
The lottery was created in 2014 by the government of Pedro Passos Coelho (PSD/CDS-PP) to incentivize taxpayers to request invoices with NIF to combat the shadow economy, initially awarding high-end cars (Audi A4).
From 2016, under António Costa’s (PS) government, the lottery was adjusted for the state to award Savings Treasury Bonds instead.
Every week, a treasury certificate worth 35,000 euros (excluding stamp duty) was drawn, and twice a year, in June and December, extraordinary contests were held to additionally award three certificates worth 50,000 euros each.
According to the Finance Portal, the last contest was held on December 28, 2023.
In that year, the last when there were draws, the number of coupons in competition always exceeded 600 million, and in the regular weekly draws of June, that number surpassed 950 million.
