In the UK, details of proposed civil penalties are emerging as the government starts consulting about secondary legislation under the ID cards act, under which locals and visiting Australians resident in the UK are to carry a mandatory ID card.
For instance, a person could have £1000 penalties ($2300) sent to them by e-mail for failing to turn up at a time and place of bureacracy’s choosing, refusing to be fingerprinted, photographed or to hand over documents (e.g. birth or marriage certificates), or failing to tell them you’ve moved house for 3 months.
Anything that the Identity and Passport Service think is “deliberate or reckless” provision of incorrect information could lead to 2 years in prison.
Other dubious ‘highlights’ include: a tax on marriage: women who change their name will have to buy a new card. People without bank accounts won’t be able to get ID as you can only pay by credit or debit card, or cheque.
But the homeless will be able to nominate a park bench as their ‘address’.