Last year, after gaining some autonomy from France and becoming a COM, St Barth faced the task of generating money to compensate for the decrease in the amount that was previously budgeted by France for the island. One such endeavor was the requirement that every registered vehicle sport a "vignette" on the windshield. Despite the charming name, this is just a sticker. Last year the Collectivity made $1.3 million on the sale of about 8000 vignettes, which are good for one year. This year, they expect to sell about 10,000 due to the increase in the number of registered vehicles on the island during 2008. Vignettes went on sale on January 9 at the Treasury office in Gustavia and at an office set up in the parking lot by the stadium in St Jean. Owners have until March 31 to purchase a vignette for 2009. The price for a normal passenger car is 100 euros and increases for taxi vans and trucks.