So, government is buying stickers for motorists who object to the slogan “50 Years of Carnival” on this year’s number plates. They can keep using the 2018 plates with the sticker inside the front window indicating payment of the 2019 road tax and fee for the set of plates.
However, because there is no way to tell how many people are involved, stickers had to ordered for all registered motor vehicles, namely 33,278 for cars/trucks and 1,000 for motorbikes. There will be no extra charge, which means public funds are to cover this added expense.
The precise cost has not been revealed, but if one were to assume, for example, US $5 per sticker, this would amount to more than $170,000. Granted, that’s not nearly the loss incurred in 2013, when then-Finance Minister Roland Tuitt did not think it necessary to order licence plates that facilitate police controls and only 7.2 million Netherlands Antilles guilders was collected from motorists, compared to NAf. 8.5 million in the two preceding years and NAf. 8.8 million in 2014.
But still, it’s an unforeseen burden that was consequently not budgeted for. Especially in the country’s current financial situation where every dollar counts, this seems like an unfortunate waste of badly-needed money.
After much uproar against the Carnival anniversary slogan, mainly for religious reasons, it will be interesting to see how many drivers in fact choose to keep using their old plates with the sticker. The customary line at the Receiver’s Office certainly didn’t seem significantly shorter than normal without stickers yet available and despite the Vehicle Inspection Centre being closed for a week.
Those who protested the new plates and sparked this highly unusual arrangement can at least do society a favour by donating theirs to the Animal Welfare Foundation (see Saturday paper) for its work on behalf of the island’s many strays.
After all, if the plates are so bad, why keep them?
