I realized that my last post on seigniorage is a bit 'messy and difficult to understand because of language used in quotes, maybe a bit' too technical.
For the last time, permanently and, hopefully, clear, I want to refute the hoax that the seigniorage income is calculated as the difference between cost of production / distribution and value of the note. The seigniorage
say:
- The Central Bank lends notes to the State.
- The Central Bank is a public limited company, so all the collection is a loss for the state.
The ECB's capital is composed exclusively of money from the Bank of Central European countries and the Bank of Italy is a Institute of Public Law (ie non-HBS), also notes will be invested in public debt then the interest rate is much lower than a loan.
But even if the correct assumptions used by the seignorage, they still come to the wrong conclusion because it is the same logic with which the reasoning is being carried out to be wrong (do not know whether ignorance or willful misconduct). Here's why:
To simplify the accounts, we assume that print and distribute money it costs nothing to the Bank (then earn even more).
Step 1: The State called on the Bank € 100. The Bank lends them and prints them to the state with a annual interest rate 10% (very high). Revenue for the State
: 100 € (loans ranging in revenue, is the law)
Net for the State : +100 €
outputs for the Bank : 0 € (we said that printing costs nothing )
Step 2: The state invests the money. How? In public works (roads, railways), in salaries for civil servants, etc ... (This is the way that paper money comes into circulation)
assume that the state invests the entire loan:
outputs for the state : 100 €
Net for the State : 0 €
Step 3: How earns the state? With taxes and indirect taxes, natural return on investment in services.
Many European countries have a budget surplus, or enter more money in taxes than is spent on services. In Italy no. Whether it is a country of criminals (who escapes a payment, while using the services related to such payment, is not a thief) and for the enormous waste policy and administration.
The famous "balanced budget", which hopes to soon Tremonti is simply this: to ensure that investments in services are at least equal to the return in taxes.
In our example, let's pretend that everyone pays taxes: State income
: 150 € (for example, earning € 50, but the amount is irrelevant)
Net for the State : +150 €
Step 4: It's been 2 years and the state returns the € 100 banknote, the Bank , which destroys it:
outputs for the state : € 120 (€ 100 banknote plus interest of 10% for 2 years) for the State Net
: +30 € [1] Revenue for the Bank
: 20 € [2]
Net Bank : +20 €
So the profit is equal to the interest of the Bank investment, cvd
Oh, yes! Why the Bank with € 100 can not do anything because she was in print. That bill is not worth anything once out of the movement, because it is paper! And then destroys it, because being old and worn should print a new bill, rather than reintroduce in this movement.
Just as a check as soon as two clients of the same bank exchange a check, the bank does not earn the amount of the check when it collects, unlike the case in which the two are clients of different banks. Behold, the euro checks are nothing more than all of the Bank itself, and sooner or later must return to the bank that issued them (The ECB).
Finally, removing also the scene of seigniorage, the only differences are:
- If the bank invests in the printed public debt rather than lend to the State's interest is much lower, then the gain is less.
- The Bank, they are not private, transforms the interest earned (adjusted for operating expenses) in revenue for the state itself, as witnessed on that page Bank of Canada from which I got the citation in the previous post (unfortunately I could not find a similar testimony to the Bank of Italy or the ECB)
[1] : Net profit of the State, of course, depends on many factors and more can also be zero (balanced budget) or negative (increasing the debt), but in our example is not important.
[2] : If to the Bank the € 100 had a gain, why bother trying to lend to the state? He could print hundreds of millions and spend it to buy gold, diamonds, yachts for a CEO, a lollipop with his son the CEO, etc ... still get the inclusion banknotes in circulation. Herein lies the absurdity and inherent illogic of those who argue against the conspiracy of monetary sovereignty, the buffalo. I challenge anyone to prove otherwise.