5 ms·

I hope to see the day we ban cash. Here in Sweden, it's almost there. It's pretty much only used by tax dodgers and criminals here now.

selfhoster11 5y ago
Must be nice to never expect your government to turn against you.
eitland 5y ago
Next door, in Norway, the Norwegian bank is quite clear that accepting cash is required for every shop and failure to do so will be punished (unmanned kiosks and vending machines seems to be allowed though). I'm actually in favour of that, not because I fear my current government but because it - is convenient (much better than gift cards) - feels good to be able to buy stuff without telling my bank and Google and who knows who else what I buy - the banks reason is because it might be necessary in emergencies which also seems like a really good reason.
- nivenkos 5y ago
  But banning cash, stops all petty crime, tax evasion, drug dealing, etc. immediately. It's such a great solution and we're so close! No-one will rob you when you have no cash to take, and they can't sell your phone anywhere since it could be traced (and the phone is now locked out and banned via IMEI, etc.). Technology could make society so much safer, so easily. And cards can work offline in an emergency, like they do on aeroplanes. Just normal shops would need to have this capability.
  - eitland 5y ago
    > But banning cash, stops all petty crime, Do you really think criminals would give up this easy? Or go on to steal jewelry, watches, demand you buy gift cards as extortion or payment for stolen goods etc? > tax evasion, I'm fairly certain most significant tax evasion happens without any cash already. > drug dealing, etc. immediately. Again, do you really think this? As mentioned above criminals doesn't have a history of just putting up a sad face and start doing something useful instead. By the way, the more I learn the more I think we should end prohibition of more drugs, just like we did with alcohol. That could actually put a sad face on a number of criminals.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - daot 5y ago
    > banning cash, stops all petty crime, tax evasion, drug dealing, etc. immediately. Is this sarcastic? You do realize the vast majority of tax evasion happens through banks right? Like African dictators stashing dirty money in European or Swiss Banks, or Mexican druglords using HSBC to launder money. Specifically in scandinavia: > the leaks with the detailed administrative records of wealth, income, and taxes paid that Norway, Sweden, and Denmark maintain to offer a detailed portrait of tax evasion in the three Nordic countries. The findings are fairly shocking. Throughout the three countries, about 3 percent of all personal taxes are avoided. But among those with more than $40 million in assets — not the top 1 percent but the top 0.01 percent — about 30 percent of taxes are evaded [0] Do you think the top 0.01% avoid their 30% of taxes by carrying cash? What about drug dealing with cryptocurrency? Or petty crime with credit card copying? How would banning cash make a material difference? [0] https://www.vox.com/2017/6/7/15745978/tax-evasion-zucman https://www.vox.com/2017/6/7/15745978/tax-evasion-zucman
    - nivenkos 5y ago
      But the banks can be forced to open up their accounts and transaction details. Cryptocurrency-Fiat exchanges should also be banned. You can't copy credit cards in Europe due to the chip on the card. These problems have largely technical solutions, we just need to stop fearing technology.
      - mygoodaccount 5y ago
        > These problems have largely technical solutions, we just need to stop fearing technology. Ego of the coder
  - rabuse 5y ago
    "No-one will rob you when you have no cash to take" Except... the bank and your government.

selfhoster11 5y ago

Must be nice to never expect your government to turn against you.

eitland 5y ago

Next door, in Norway, the Norwegian bank is quite clear that accepting cash is required for every shop and failure to do so will be punished (unmanned kiosks and vending machines seems to be allowed though). I'm actually in favour of that, not because I fear my current government but because it - is convenient (much better than gift cards) - feels good to be able to buy stuff without telling my bank and Google and who knows who else what I buy - the banks reason is because it might be necessary in emergencies which also seems like a really good reason.

nivenkos 5y ago
But banning cash, stops all petty crime, tax evasion, drug dealing, etc. immediately. It's such a great solution and we're so close! No-one will rob you when you have no cash to take, and they can't sell your phone anywhere since it could be traced (and the phone is now locked out and banned via IMEI, etc.). Technology could make society so much safer, so easily. And cards can work offline in an emergency, like they do on aeroplanes. Just normal shops would need to have this capability.
- eitland 5y ago
  > But banning cash, stops all petty crime, Do you really think criminals would give up this easy? Or go on to steal jewelry, watches, demand you buy gift cards as extortion or payment for stolen goods etc? > tax evasion, I'm fairly certain most significant tax evasion happens without any cash already. > drug dealing, etc. immediately. Again, do you really think this? As mentioned above criminals doesn't have a history of just putting up a sad face and start doing something useful instead. By the way, the more I learn the more I think we should end prohibition of more drugs, just like we did with alcohol. That could actually put a sad face on a number of criminals.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- daot 5y ago
  > banning cash, stops all petty crime, tax evasion, drug dealing, etc. immediately. Is this sarcastic? You do realize the vast majority of tax evasion happens through banks right? Like African dictators stashing dirty money in European or Swiss Banks, or Mexican druglords using HSBC to launder money. Specifically in scandinavia: > the leaks with the detailed administrative records of wealth, income, and taxes paid that Norway, Sweden, and Denmark maintain to offer a detailed portrait of tax evasion in the three Nordic countries. The findings are fairly shocking. Throughout the three countries, about 3 percent of all personal taxes are avoided. But among those with more than $40 million in assets — not the top 1 percent but the top 0.01 percent — about 30 percent of taxes are evaded [0] Do you think the top 0.01% avoid their 30% of taxes by carrying cash? What about drug dealing with cryptocurrency? Or petty crime with credit card copying? How would banning cash make a material difference? [0] https://www.vox.com/2017/6/7/15745978/tax-evasion-zucman https://www.vox.com/2017/6/7/15745978/tax-evasion-zucman
  - nivenkos 5y ago
    But the banks can be forced to open up their accounts and transaction details. Cryptocurrency-Fiat exchanges should also be banned. You can't copy credit cards in Europe due to the chip on the card. These problems have largely technical solutions, we just need to stop fearing technology.
    - mygoodaccount 5y ago
      > These problems have largely technical solutions, we just need to stop fearing technology. Ego of the coder
- rabuse 5y ago
  "No-one will rob you when you have no cash to take" Except... the bank and your government.