Vintage British Calculators

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Decimo Super Vatman M

Decimo Super Vatman M

Decimo Super Vatman M.

6V (4 x AA).

8 digits, green fluorescent.

4 function, %, memory, square root, square, reciprocal.

84 mm x 132 mm x 30 mm (3.3" x 5.2" x 1.2").

Made in Japan.

The significance of the name 'Vatman' -

      In April 1973, about the time that pocket calculators were becoming common, Purchase Tax was abolished in Britain, to be replaced by Value Added Tax (VAT). Instead of being applied solely at the point of retail, this tax is applied at all points during the manufacture and distribution of most items when value is added to a product.

      As may be imagined, this caused great confusion and difficulties for many companies and stores, and the newspapers carried many stories of raids by tax inspectors on those who had not paid their VAT properly. The name which the popular newspapers have given to these despised inspectors is "vatman", in headlines such as "The vatman demands unpaid tax of £ x0,000 from XYZ company or the owner will go to jail".

      So the name VATMAN on a calculator can give you an idea of what it will be useful for, and also makes you smile at its incongruousness.

Vintage British Calculators

Text & photographs copyright, except where stated otherwise, © Nigel Tout 2000-2024.