Re: CHAT: postcodes

En réponse à Roger Mills <romilly@...>:

> Until my first visit to England, it had never occurred to me that the
> license plate/number could be a _permanent_ thing.
Well, until the thread on this list, It never occured to me that a license
plate could be a *temporary* thing!!!

>
> A permanent number would certainly simplify life-- here in the US, we
> have
> to renew our plates every year, for a price of course; when you buy a
> new or
> used car, you have to get new plates, for a price of course.  A very
> lucrative racket for the state. How does it happen the French/English
> etc.
> haven't discovered this easy source of revenue?  Or do they have some
> other
> way to collect a yearly tribute?
>
In France we had the "vignette", a sticker to put on the front window of the
car, to be renewed every year, and whose value was dependent on the "fiscal
power" of the car (basically something which has to do with the actual power of
the motor and the brand of the car). So for small cars you paid a little, and
for big cars you paid more. But the last "vignette" was released in 2000 (it's
well known for having just a "0" on it - vignettes had normally the last two
figures of the year, but this one had only one -), and since then the
government decided not to carry on with them. They probably get enough money
from the gasoline (which is taxed up to 75%. Personally, I think they should
tax it even more, but that's because I'm a strong environmentalist :))) ).

IIRC (according to my friend actually), they still have a system like the
stiker in Holland.

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.