Metro riders using QR codes to pay the fees can get electronic receipts through a new feature on the Shenzhen Metro QR-code miniapp that was added Monday.
The receipts will be sent directly to the app users’ electronic WeChat wallet after their applications for the receipts for reimbursement are submitted.
The blockchain-based e-receipt program, jointly launched by the Shenzhen tax authority and Internet giant Tencent, also covers the other sectors of the city’s public transport system, including taxis and airport shuttles.
At present, 1.38 million people use QR codes to pay for rides on the public transport network in Shenzhen each day, and around 160,000 riders need receipts. The service will replace the standard paper receipts and save about 400,000 yuan each year (US$59,577).
At a ceremony Monday, Cai Yige, manager of Tencent’s blockchain business, said the blockchain-based e-receipts are difficult to tamper with, which will help tax supervisors trace their sources and determine their authenticity. The blockchain technology will curb malpractice and document forgery in taxation, as well as simplify procedures, Cai added.
The use of blockchain-based e-receipts has been steadily expanding in the tech hub since a number of local restaurants, banks and supermarkets launched the service last August.
The service is now widely used in the finance, retail, catering and hospitality industries in the city. Last May, Shenzhen’s tax bureau and Tencent jointly launched an innovation lab to explore solutions to optimize tax services and prevent risks using cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data.