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by dools 649 days ago
Not quite.

The government imposes a tax, the tax is due in the state's unit of account. The government can then spend its unit of account into circulation, and later accepts it back in payment of taxes.

> Contrast with a time when currency was pegged to a physical asset like gold

Even when a currency is constructed from a commodity, it is not the commidity that is the money. It is a commodity that bears the stamp of the sovereign.

> and GBP so no depreciation in something like 300 years. Savings actually had meaning.

When money was constructed from a commodity there was a terrible shortage of coin to support the economy and it was a horror show for almost everyone.

It's certainly possible to have price stability and full employment, but if you're going to choose, a bit of inflation is much, much better than deflation.