About 2,000 companies were buying vouchers regularly when the tax-deductable benefit was raised to $60, including a few large ones, like Price Waterhouse, Swissbank and Colgate-Palmolive.

The paper now runs a subscription, whereby customers can buy pre-paid vouchers to exchange for their copy of the paper.

"So when you're accosted on the street for money, and you want to be charitable, you buy vouchers, which are redeemable only for food," Mr. Green said.

At specially marked windows, bettors can buy vouchers, which they then insert into screen activated machines (called "SAM's") that present betting options.

Every Czech was entitled to buy vouchers for a nominal sum, using them to bid for shares in hundreds of enterprises.

But miners may still buy vouchers at huge discounts, with the difference made up by their mine or trade union.

But officers may buy vouchers for only 25 percent of the cost (50 percent for spouses).

And because many Russians would rather have instant cash, anyone, Russian or foreign, can buy vouchers from brokers for about 4,500 rubles, or $4.79.

"They're buying vouchers so they can buy shares."

Clients can also buy extra vouchers for specific occasions, although regular extra vouchers would alert the service to the possibility of a new assessment of need.