Chambers wrote:

> number in *several* computers, thanks to redundancy :) ), so what's the 
> difference between the 1% of your net worth you carry with you being 
> cash versus some form of electronic payment?
> 

The differences are several I think.

There is not what amounts to a tax on commerce going straight into 
financial institution coffers, if two people use cash as an interface. 
There is with electronic, and if all money were electronic this would 
amount to a tax from the 'bank' on all existing commerce.  Further, 
there would be little cost to adding tax apon tax apon tax.  Tax money 
for everybody with influence.  Whoopee if you're one of them.

But if you are of the underclass, the demi-monde. You bear the burden. 
Also, if you have little access to the establishment, if you are 'other' 
and deemed undesireable, and cannot access the official mediums for 
money exchange, without cash the sanctions against you would be even 
more severe.  With the availability of currency, those forced to inhabit 
this shadow world could carry %100 of their 'net worth' as cash.

With solely electronic money, the ability for those in power to monitor 
people is enhanced tremendously as was already mentioned, and along with 
such control comes the ability to sanction others.

Now, there will always be a blackmarket and barter will always be used 
to circumvent this because such a homogeous world as is implicit in the 
vision of a cashless world can never exist.

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