I’m sure many of you are tired of having to prove to the bank, tax authorities, and even just some random official that you aren’t a camel—that your money was earned “legally.” Familiar situation, right? I think everyone has at least once experienced the humiliating feeling when your own honestly earned money suddenly turns into suspicious substance, and to get it, you have to collect a stack of papers as thick as Tolstoy’s *War and Peace*.
And let’s not just talk about taxes. Many people live in the “paid and sleep peacefully” paradigm (although the dream of seeing tax rates is more like a nervous one). The problem is another—even if you are willing to give a stationary gangster “his share,” he doesn’t always simply go through with the deal, and you often have to lose dozens of percent of your income on an absolutely useless procedure of “legitimation.” Some people are forced to draw contracts with non-existent sole proprietors, some buy fake services, and others even give half their earnings to “cash” (in some “developed” countries it’s already not an exaggeration)—just to have the opportunity to use their own money.
Why does this happen? Governments demand “their share,” but they are afraid of losing control, especially due to the appearance of financially independent people who can even finance opposition, so they suffocate any attempts at free use of money. And this story, unfortunately, is not just about Russia, but also about all other states.
It’s important to understand: money is simply your work, talent, and time transformed into numbers on your account. By depriving a person of the ability to manage earned money, the state essentially deprives them of part of their freedom. Presumption of innocence? Forget it. Now the presumption is this: if you have money, you are automatically either a thief, a swindler, or just a clever guy until someone proves otherwise.
Also, states are fighting cash and trying to drive everyone into a transparent electronic world where every ruble or dollar will be seen through. In Germany or the United Kingdom, accounts can already be blocked instantly if you try to withdraw just a few thousand euros in cash. Why is this done? Supposedly, to combat terrorism and crime. But the result is bleak: crime remained as it was (almost all criminal money is washed—the effectiveness of the fight is practically zero), and ordinary people suffer from bureaucratic hell.
Here’s the translation:
Right here, cryptocurrencies and technologies of financial anonymity come onto the scene. The authorities hate them, calling them dirty and dangerous. But in fact, they are the only island of financial freedom remaining in a world of total control. As long as you have crypto – you truly own your money, rather than renting it from a bank or tax service (of course, if you store it on your own wallet, rather than on an exchange or other intermediaries). Of course, crypto isn’t perfect, and the state is trying to take away this tool too; luckily, so far unsuccessfully. But its popularity shows – people need a place where their money remains only their money, without constant justifications and humiliating procedures.
Furthermore, currency control significantly reduces economic activity. Many people have cash or crypto for buying an apartment, a car, land, but prefer to live “like everyone else” and not attract attention. This is not just inconvenience for individual citizens – it damages the entire economy. When people don’t invest and spend their honestly earned money, the entire economic chain suffers: demand falls, production shrinks, employment and incomes decline. The result – economic stagnation and a loss of enormous growth potential and well-being for all.
Incidentally, arguments against currency control are much more readily accepted by a wide audience than, for example, arguments about abolishing taxes. It’s difficult for people to imagine how social benefits would be funded without taxes, but abolishing currency control no one loses – on the contrary, everyone wins thanks to economic growth and freedom of entrepreneurship!
