Occitan is the name of a community currency

Local currency

In economics, a local currency, in its common usage, is a currency not backed by a national government , and intended to trade only in a small area. As a tool of fiscal localism, local moneys can raise awareness of the state of the local economy, especially among those who may be unfamiliar or...

 started in 2010 in Pézenas

Pézenas

Pézenas is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon, southern France. At the 1999 census, its population was 7443.-Name:...

, Occitania

Occitania

Occitania , also sometimes lo País d'Òc, "the Oc Country"), is the region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It is named after the ethnic name Occitan.

The Occitan program is intended to promote local commerce. The Occitan operates with a fixed exchange rate: 1 Occitan = 1.
There is a fixed commission of 4% for members (shops) and 6% for individuals.

Creation and objectives

An initiative of a local shopkeeper organization, ACA, the Occitan is intended to stimulate of local economy.

Currency issue, exchange and acceptance

They have a 1-year validity.

Bills of 1, 2, 5, and 10 Occitans are issued. They feature an Occitan cross and the portrait of Molière

Molière

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...

 who started his career in Pézenas.

To maintain an individual bill's validity, a "scrip

Scrip

Scrip is an American term for any substitute for currency which is not legal tender and is often a form of credit. Scrips were created as company payment of employees and also as a means of payment in times where regular money is unavailable, such as remote coal towns, military bases, ships on long...

" corresponding to 2% of the banknote value must be paid every six months. (This system, called demurrage

Demurrage (currency)

Demurrage is a cost associated with owning or holding currency over a given period of time. It is sometimes referred to as a carrying cost of money. For commodity money such as gold, demurrage is in practice nothing more than the cost of storing and securing the gold...

, is a form of currency circulation tax and was invented by Silvio Gesell

Silvio Gesell

Silvio Gesell was a German merchant, theoretical economist, social activist, anarchist and founder of Freiwirtschaft.-Life:...

.)