What do you all think of those various organizations that promote community barter transactions, like "Time Dollars," or whatever.

Shouldn't they be prosecuted for counterfeiting? Only Congress has the power to coin and print, right?

And what about the U.S. dollar value of barter transactions? How much is tax evasion?

I always thought of barter networks as attempts to go somewhat "cash-less" to avoid paying taxes that are otherwise owed. Of course, goods & services received in barter ARE taxable, but the barter plans seek to shirk tax obligations by avoiding use of cash to obscure the value of goods & services received.

It's not counterfeiting if they're not passing off their Barter Dollars as mimics of actual dollars. Similarly, coupons are not counterfeiting, either.

I always thought of barter networks as attempts to go somewhat "cash-less" to avoid paying taxes that are otherwise owed. Of course, goods & services received in barter ARE taxable, but the barter plans seek to shirk tax obligations by avoiding use of cash to obscure the value of goods & services received.

It's not counterfeiting if they're not passing off their Barter Dollars as mimics of actual dollars. Similarly, coupons are not counterfeiting, either.

Coupons are ads, they're naught but an offer of a percentage discount of a dollar-valued good or service. Barter dollars are a whole currency apart from the dollar. I think the practice is unconstitutional, and of it's participants, some more innocent than others, but some probably harbor very subversive, anti-capitalist, anti-U.S. intent.