Perhaps we should back up and consider something else.

What do you see the point of $VERSION as? I told you several back what I think it to be, and therefore why you would not want a module reporting a $VERSION that is information from another file. But it seems that you think of $VERSION differently and see this as being a useful thing to do.

What is the purpose of $VERSION to you, and why is it useful for a file to report its $VERSION as being the $VERSION of a different file that could readily be changed by someone independently from it?