The Federal, state, local governments don't care if you barter for good and services. What they care about are taxes. If you use barter to evade paying sales or income taxes, then the government gets a little pissy. Simply put, barter is legal, tax fraud/evasion is not.
Wouldn't most barter transactions avoid paying taxes ?
I wasn't aware that the liberty dollar was pegged to US currency, why would NotHaus do that ?
Didn't he say that legal or other experts told him it was legal ? Does anyone know anything on that ?
Check this stuff out from wikipedia below:
the key paragraph is this, and note that it includes any coin of original design:
"Whoever, except as authorized by law, makes or utters or passes, or attempts to utter or pass, any coins of gold or silver or other metal, or alloys of metals, intended for use as current money, whether in the resemblance of coins of the United States or of foreign countries, or of original design, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
That would seem to imply all silver rounds would be illegal ? But the key phrase as "except as authorized by law" - so I am utterly confused ..
Also note below a claim that Claudia Dickens, spokeswoman for the US Treasury is alleged to have said in the past that the liberty dollar was legal ..
Also note this paragraph:
""Liberty Dollars" are meant to compete with the circulating coinage (currency) of the United States and such competition consequently is a criminal act"
Couldn't that easily be interpreted to mean, trade a silver quarter for it's melt value for a loaf of bread and you are competing with US currency ? Seems like maybe it could I guess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Dollar#Federal_Government_responseFederal Government response
Numerous individuals within the U.S. Government have been interviewed regarding the Liberty Dollar. The Liberty Dollar organization asserts that one U.S. Secret Service agent has stated "It's not counterfeit money"[13] while remaining "skeptical" of NORFED. Another agent is reported to have warned that the Liberty Dollar "appears to be in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 514."[13] The minting of Liberty dollars also appears to be in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 486:
Whoever, except as authorized by law, makes or utters or passes, or attempts to utter or pass, any coins of gold or silver or other metal, or alloys of metals, intended for use as current money, whether in the resemblance of coins of the United States or of foreign countries, or of original design, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
The promoter of the Liberty Dollar asserts that Claudia Dickens, spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing, had previously said American Liberty Currency is legitimate. Dickens was quoted as having said "There's nothing illegal about this", after the Treasury Department's legal team reviewed the currency. "As long as it doesn't say 'legal tender' there's nothing wrong with it."[14]
In 2006 the U.S. Mint issued a press release stating that prosecutors at the Justice Department had determined that using Liberty Dollars as circulating money is a federal crime. The press release also stated that the "Liberty Dollars" are meant to compete with the circulating coinage (currency) of the United States and such competition consequently is a criminal act.[15] The Justice Department also stated that the Liberty Dollar was confusingly similar to actual U.S. currency, and the language used on NORFED's website was deceptive.[16]
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Would it be fair to say, technically it sounds like they may be saying you can collect coins as a collector, but you can't use them for any kind of trade ?