Meloni mocked after introducing personalised car number plates in revenue push

Motorists in Italy will soon be permitted to personalise their vehicle number plates, in a revenue-raising initiative that follows the example set by Britain, the United States and other nations.Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the measure on Wednesday as she unveiled Italy's 2027 budget law, the final package ahead of a general election due next year, describing the number plate initiative as a "colourful note"."One will be able to indulge oneself more or less as one sees fit, obviously at a cost. Something tells me that Italians' creativity could shine here," Meloni said.Personalised plates will cost roughly €600 ($669) for cars and €360 for motor-bikes, according to a decree.A Treasury official declined to estimate how much revenue the government expects the policy to generate.Italian car registration plates currently consist of a string of two letters, three numbers and two letters. The extent to which motorists will be allowed to stray from this standard formula remains unclear.(Getty Images)The reform has prompted a wave of social media memes and jokes, alongside concerns that custom licence plates could open the flood-gates to insults and profanities.One meme depicted Meloni dressed up as Marie Antoinette holding a platter of licence plates and saying, "Let them eat personalised plates" - a play on the famous phrase by the 18th century French queen "Let them eat cake".Some welcomed the measure, including taxi drivers, who said distinctive personalised plates could make it easier to identify legitimate operators and combat illegal services.Opposition parties on the centre-left were less enthusiastic, saying the licence-plate initiative was a distraction from more pressing issues that the budget failed to address."Meloni should know that Italians have already chosen their personalised plate, and it reads: 'Meloni, go away'," said Francesco Silvestri, a lawmaker from the Five Star Movement.