'Demonetization'

BREAKING DOWN 'Demonetization'

There are multiple reasons why nations demonetize their local units of currency. Some reasons include to combat inflation, to combat corruption, and to discourage a cash system. The process of demonetization involves either introducing new notes or coins of the same currency or completely replacing the old currency with new currency.
In 2016, the Indian government decided to demonetize the 500- and 1000- rupee notes, the two biggest denomination notes. These notes accounted for 86% of the country’s cash supply. The government’s goal was to eradicate counterfeit currency, fight tax evasion, eliminate black money gotten from money laundering and terrorist financing activities, and promote a cashless economy. By making the larger denomination notes worthless, individuals and entities with huge sums of black money gotten from parallel cash systems were forced to convert the money at a bank which is by law required to acquire tax information from the entity. If the entity could not provide proof of making any tax payments on the cash, a tax penalty of 200% of the tax owed was imposed.
In 2015, the Zimbabwean government demonetized the Zimbabwean dollar as a way to combat the country’s hyperinflation that was recorded at 231,000,000%. The 3-month process involved expunging the Zimbabwean dollar from the country’s financial system and solidifying the US dollar, Botswana pula, and South African rand as the country’s legal tender in a bid to stabilize the economy.
Another example of demonetization occurred when the nations of the European Monetary Union adopted the euro in 2002. In order to switch to the euro, authorities first fixed exchange rates for the varied national currencies into euros. When the euro was introduced, the old national currencies were demonetized. However, the old currencies remained convertible into euros for a while so that a smooth transition through demonetization would be assured.
The Coinage Act of 1873 demonetized silver in favor of adopting the gold standard as the legal tender of the United States. The withdrawal of silver from the economy resulted in a contraction of the money supply, which subsequently led to a 5-year economic depression in the country. In response to the dire situation and pressure from silver miners and farmers, the Bland-Allison Act remonetized silver as legal tender in 1878.

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