French side residents to
pay 110 euros in car tax
MARIGOT--French side registered car owners will soon have to pay 110 euros in a new annual car tax, it was disclosed during Wednesday’s Territorial Council meeting.
The new car tax will come into effect on February 1, 2008.
Cars owned and used by the Collectivité or the State are exempt from the tax. Rental car companies will have to pay 120 euros on their vehicles, and taxis (nine seats maximum) 110 euros.
Buses with more than 35 seats will be charged 500 euros. Utility vehicles for transporting merchandise that do not exceed 3.5 tons pay 110 euros, but utility vehicles that exceed 3.5 tons have to pay 500 euros. Heavy goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tons also pay 500 euros.
Large motorbikes pay 80 euros and small motorbikes and mopeds 20 euros.
Territorial Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the car tax.
On the last agenda point, Councillors voted in favour of the proposed change to the zip code for St. Martin. The zip code will now become 978 on January 1, 2008. The code was formerly 97150 when St. Martin was under Guadeloupe.
The main topic dominating the Council meeting was the Collectivité’s new tax proposals (see related story).
