You may be inclined to say that this would never happen in the US or other developed nations. But you would have said the same thing about many government mandates and actions over the past few years before they happened. Or what if the government wanted to stimulate the economy? They could give you currency that disappears if you don’t spend it right away, perhaps incentivizing you to shop at the businesses of cronies by only making it spendable at certain retailers. Again, this is not a stretch; China is already exploring a “use it or lose it” feature with its e-CNY digital currency.
