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Comment by PakG1 | Hacker News Reader

My Chinese friend in Beijing once read an article about why Didi was winning. She told me that the article missed one of the most important things in her opinion. With Didi, she can get a fapiao receipt, which she can then give to her company to claim expenses. She can't get a fapiao receipt with Uber. That's why she never takes Uber. I don't know how big of an effect this actually has, it's just an interesting anecdote.

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> With Didi, she can get a fapiao receipt, which she can then give to her company to claim expenses. She can't get a fapiao receipt with Uber.

And this right here is here is why you track down your competitors users and ask them why they don't switch.

At least in Mexico, Uber (besides a very small number of taxi companies) is the only company that provides "facturas", a government approved invoice. Without it no expenses are deductible. Standard taxis do not provide them most of the time.

That's part of the reason uber was such a big hit in mexico.

So Uber probably knows about the importance of the document, maybe the Chinese don't let them create them.

Cabs in Shenzhen all have little dashboard printers for the "fapiao." They aren't official and look like a cheap receipt from a corner store. I doubt it is a regulation thing.

They're totally official. I used them all the time to claim taxi expenses in Beijing. Same in Shenzhen.

Official meaning not on a government form.

Why would they not be official?

How fanciful do you expect of an invoice that comes from a some component of a taxi? A full POS standard?

Official meaning not on a government form

Chinese IRS collects sales tax through fapiao (at 17%). So it has no incentives to not let them create invoices.

Sure it does - the Chinese government is protectionist. They're ALWAYS going to find a way to give preference to local companies, and this sounds like an EXTREMELY easy way to do so.

Exactly what I was thinking, it might be a way for the chinese government to make sure a chinese company wins the war. People will very obviously select the provider with whom you can deduct the expense.

Isn't this what 'Uber for Business' is for? Is that not available in China?

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