In the chapter you read that it costs the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing around 5-1/2 cents to print a $1 bill, 10-1/2 cents to print a $20 bill, and a bit over 14 cents to print a $100 bill. It seems the Treasury could generate a nice profit for the government by simply printing currency and using this currency to purchase the goods and services the government needs. In fact, this seems to be a way to eliminate the problem of budget deficits for the U.S. government. Comment on this idea.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

At first it seems the Treasury could buy one hundred dollar's worth of goods for an actual cost of less than fourteen cents, the cost of printing the note. Plus the Treasury can avoid having to borrow to finance the difference between tax receipts and expenditures. But what may be profitable for the Treasury can be very harmful to the economy. The printing of this additional currency can have many serious consequences. The additional currency will increase the money supply, which can fuel higher prices, lowering the real purchasing power of money. If the problem becomes large enough it can actually make people reluctant to accept the currency as a means of payment and they would revert to increased use of barter which can make the economy less efficient.