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by oxff 1293 days ago
Nothing to do with "fighting corruption" (or else a literal convicted felon wouldn't be head of ECB, - lol, lmao even) they just want to monitor you more.
5 comments

It's a form of social credit system, china style. You cannot live without a bank account these days, but if you piss off the governemnt, they will take it away from you, like Trudeau did.

I am sure there are some benefits to living into this system, doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it.

Specifically Christine Lagarde was found guilty of 'carelessly' giving a massive payout of taxpayers’ money to controversial French businessman Bernard Tapie.
To monitor for... corruption?

From the point of view of the state, tax evasion these days is by far the highest priority.

> To monitor for... corruption?

Yes, because people taking a bribe would definitely care that it’s illegal to have a cash transaction over €10k

I can't find a single sensible reason why tax evasion would be the highest priority of EU governments... IMHO there are pages of more pressing issues.
Sure, but those other problems need funding.
The most pressing issue is the amount of funding wasted by bureaucrats, corporate tax deductions, subsidies to their friends, and so on...

So no...

Tax levels are high and tax are being collected. Governments aren't short of money because of tax evasion.

Tax evasion is not a top priority however you look at it... the argument sounds like "but think of the children" to justify things that are actually motivated by other aims and/or ideological reasons.

My country loses about €32 billions in yearly income due to tax evasion. That's the amount of money that could change many lives if used right. Instead we're cutting benefits to the poor bto reduce our deficit. Tax evasion is a top priority.
Another solution is to just increase taxes until you end up with €32 billion in increased revenue. An advantage is also that this solution is actually _possible_ (as opposed to getting rid of all tax evasion).
Tax the large companies properly first, then come after the little people.
Why wouldn't it have to do with fighting corruption?
There is a ton of corruption going on at much higher dollar values and governments do very little about it - corrupt businessmen tend to be the most reliable donors.
Yes but why do you think they are not working to prevent that at the same time?
Because those in power thrive and support corruption at very high levels.

This is for poor schnucks and the occasional scapegoat.

We have to fight corruption at every level.
nothing says "already paid" as a credit card transaction.

Maybe you prefer to keep paper receipts for tens of years and prove they are legit, I honestly don't.

What we «prefer» - sorry, radically "will" - is to live in dignity.

This implies, no record of personal purchases around.

The current "fight against cash" goes in direction of that risk.

> This implies, no record of personal purchases around.

What's stopping peoole to do it?

I regularly pay my drinks cash.

I never paid a beer more than 10k though...

> The current "fight against cash" goes in direction of that risk.

I'm glad that when I pay someone for something they can't say I didn't do it and ask for the money again.

That includes the State.

I paid my taxes, here's the proof.

I already paid my energy bill, here's the statement from the bank, have a good day.

Besides, what you are talking about has nothing to do with limits to cash transactions, I am honestly scared by the idea of going around with 10k in a bag to pay for something

only a fool or a criminal would actually do it and feel comfortable about it.

it's betting against bad luck and I an quite sure that I would not win.

Are you sure that you are going to the appointment with the seller with 12k in cash and they are not showing up with guns and rob you?

And what would you do then?

Go to the police? that first thing will do is ask you why you were going around with that much cash in a bag.

Thanks, but no thanks.

> What's stopping peoole to do it?

Bad question. Good question instead: "What seems to be the trend which may be at some point stop people from doing it".

> what you are talking about

You do not get the point. Of course one is glad to have the ability to prove transactions that one wants to be recorded; the issue is with the threats to the ability of carrying on transactions that one does not want to be recorded.

> What seems to be the trend which may be at some point stop people from doing it

very easy answer: progress.

same reason why people don't use shells as coins anymore.

> the issue is with the threats to the ability of carrying on transactions that one does not want to be recorded.

As the philosopher Jägger once said

You can't always get what you want

It's a fundamental principle of any community that ever existed, apparently in some parts of the richest World people are incapable of understanding that me is much less important than everyone.

Imagine a World where I say "I don't want to have an ID with my picture on it" but I also want to travel around the World freely, because I don't like explaining myself to random strangers in uniforms.

There are easy solutions to what you are looking for, Theodore Kaczynski is a notorious and virtuose example on how to pull it off, but none of them involve large amounts of cash spent in a single transaction, which is fishy per se because it requires two or more parties agreeing to do something that has virtually no advantage, except the most common: hiding something. I would like to understand what that something is, because the most obvious conclusion is "something shady". We all agree on that, let's be real.

I understand if protesters in HK buy tickets for the subway in cash to not get tracked by the Chinese government. Chinese are famously a little bit repressive.

I don't understand why someone in the US, living in the best and freest country in the World, the greatest democracy ever, the place where dreams come true, a Country where, unlike China, they give protesters a price in the form of a few days in jail, would like to spend large amounts of cash instead of using more modern systems to hide from their government and the IRS, two of the things that define "the most civilized place on the Planet", according to its citizens.

Something's doesn't add up here.

If it wasn't about the US, that we all know is heaven on Earth, one might be inclined to think that it's the reaction of a cynical, narcissistic, money driven, trigger-easy population to a government that has only one way to make people behave like they live in a single united Country and belong in a modern society, not tribes: violence and tyranny.

But that's obviously false for the US.

You know, as European, the many flaws of Europe are an advantage.

Even if the government wanted to track me and all my expenses, they are so incompetent that I'll probably be dead before they realize that I bough a new electric bike with my CC. I live dangerously, I know.