Punjab to reward diners who pay by QR code at restaurants

The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has decided to start a reward scheme for customers who make digital payments at hotels and restaurants across the province. Under the plan, people who pay through QR codes at participating outlets will get incentives and a chance to win prizes.

According to a PRA spokesperson, the aim is to promote cashless transactions and make the tax system more transparent. The authority says wider digital payments should build public confidence in how tax is collected, and should help bring more of the sector's activity into the records.

The spokesperson also gave a warning: hotels and restaurants that refuse to accept QR code payments will face strict legal action. The authority said it is taking steps to expand digital payment facilities across the hospitality sector.

TechJuice reported that the decision came at a high-level meeting on digital monitoring and databases, chaired by PRA Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sipra. The meeting told the relevant sectors to give priority to customer complaints about digital payments.

The PRA will also build a monitoring system so that complaints from QR code users can be resolved quickly. An awareness campaign is planned to encourage digital transactions among hotels and restaurants.

TechJuice also reported that the PRA told all hotels and restaurants in the province last week to install the E-IMS so that tax is paid on time. The instruction came at a meeting with the Hotels and Restaurant Association. Firms that issue fake receipts or tamper with records will face strict action.

The authority will speed up registration of new businesses and E-IMS installation across 14 designated sectors. All Commissionerates have been told to find new taxable services and bring them into the tax net, and officers have been given specific installation targets, with enforcement teams to be formed.

A Finance Department report said the PRA collected Rs114.76 billion in July and August 2026, up 31.6 percent from Rs87.18 billion a year earlier. It credited the growth to bringing previously untaxed service sectors into the formal system. Sales tax contributed Rs53.81 billion in the two months. The government's tax target for 2026-27 is Rs1,209 billion.