Pennies have been part of the US currency for over 200 years. It’s fascinating how long these small coins have been around for. Recently, an argument has been stirred up concerning the penny and if the US should cease its production. Ceasing production would be more beneficial to the economy. It is not cost effective, it wastes taxpayers’ money, and it wastes businesses’ time and money. Therefore, the US should stop minting the penny. Keeping production of the penny is not cost effective and removing it from US currency could help the economy. The price to produce and distribute one penny is equal to 2.41 cents while it is only worth 1 cent, this is 1.41 cents lost for every penny that is made. This may not seem like a lot of money but the prices add up and soon enough that can be millions of dollars down the drain. In 2010, the money wasted on producing and distributing pennies was $27.4 million. As stated by Chris Ward, a …show more content…
With this in mind, they’d probably round up rather than down. In “Is the Penny Worth it?” Mark Weller estimated that the rounding of prices would equal to about $600 million per year for consumers, which is what people are afraid of. In spite of this, Dr.Robert Whaples believes that the rounding of prices would not create a significant change economically because it will save time and money. Businesses pay retail clerks to count their coins, and counting pennies wastes a lot of time and since they pay their employees by the hour then they waste even more money because time adds up. It is estimated that the seconds wasted counting pennies a year is equal to $700 million. Which means that keeping the penny would still equal to a waste of $100 million per year that could be used for other
"The Penny Debate " by Brad Andrew is an article written to inform Americans about an ongoing conflict. Both sides are supported with good reasons; However, I think It would be beneficial to keep the penny. Based on the article, which implies that fellow Americas would lose much more than we're gaining. Things such as; Getting rid of the penny, Charities ran on coins will lose profits, putting U.S. Mint further in debt, and prices would rise. Many may think that eliminating the penny will be a plus, but aren't looking at both pros and cons in-depth for future references. Rather than getting rid of the penny altogether we could use a cheaper metal to produce
The U.S. penny has been a standard in our currency system for almost as long as our country has existed as a sovereign nation, but due to inflation, production costs, and the changing times we live in, it is no longer a sustainable unit of currency and only serves to increase our national deficit and waste our time. When the penny was produced for the first time in 1792 by the U.S. Mint, it was made of pure copper, featured a woman with flowing hair, and was inscribed with the words “Liberty”. Since then, the design and composition have changed numerous times to reflect our changing nation. Despite its fading glory, the penny has been kept alive by numerous false lobbying fronts and a stubborn ideology, but
In source number 1 it says, “ We often throw them away in water fountains, throw them in jars, or refuse them as change.” This quote means why make a coin if all we do is throw them in jars, or refuse them as change, and just throw them in water fountains. Also, “We have penny drives to get rid of them sense people don’t want to get rid of quarters and dimes.” This quote says why make something if all we are doing with it is using them as loose change or just giving them away.
In source D, Weller reiterates that the penny holds an important factor in maintaining the pricing system. Also, mentioned in source A, the elimination of pennies causes the prices of products to round up or down to the nearest nickel. Store owners would use the elimination as an opportunity to gain more profit by rounding prices up. The government also has an advantage over the removal because taxes would increase as a result of nickels becoming the least valued coin. However, the nickel becoming the least value coin also has a downside as it costs around ten cents to make a nickel whereas it costs about two cents to produce a penny. Also, by eliminating the penny and allowed the nickel to become the least valued coin, gas prices would go up and the price of gas is already extremely high. Americans would have more stress put onto them by worrying about the rising prices of basic necessities. Both source A and source D unveils that although people may perceive the penny as valueless, it keeps the American pricing system
Getting rid of the penny is good for the economy because it would save the government on average 60 million dollars a year. Evidence that supports this claim is, “Pennies may not be big money, even if you add them together. But we are paying a cost for the privilege of squirreling
Should we keep the penny? The US has been considering abolishing the penny we should keep the penny because of the History and it's valuable to charities and sentimental value
The continuation of minting the penny is costing the U.S more than it should, additionally many other countries have already given up their lowest cent. Production cost is a huge deal and is costing the government and taxpayers money. Many countries, including the military dropped the penny. So why shouldn't we?
According the article “Give a Penny-Save the Day” written by Ted Waterhouse, it cost more than 2.4 cents to create one penny. That is double the amount the penny is worth. The US mint which creates our money is investigating how to make the penny more cost effective, but in reality we could spend that money plus the money we use creating the penny on other, more important things. Jeff Sommer, author of “Penny Wise, or
As indicated in Source 2 “Is The Penny Worth it?” , “Mark Weller, Americans for Common Cents spokesperson, claims that stores will not choose to round their prices down. He claims that what he calls the “rounding tax” will cost consumers $600 million per year.” So in reality is removing pennies from the United States currency system really worth it? It seems not because it is costing civilians so much more to live than it already is with
The penny debate has been going on for many years. Many people want to get rid of the penny, but others want to keep the penny. We should keep the penny. The penny is a benefit in our society.
United states produces 13 billion pennies each year. The Penny coin in America played a role to our economy/without people noticing too much. People most likely don’t recognize it due to inflation of prices. To public eyes the penny has always been heated debate topic. Which leads into my paper here. Should the penny be eliminated or kept? The penny should not be eliminated from our “coins system” because the prices would be rounded(making prices mostly going up), the penny has need to stay for economy. And the “public”(average american citizen) view matters and need to be heard. Even the penny kept costing United States to make then it is worth, but the benefits of the penny beats out the cost.
Many penny supporters think there is not an inflation with the economy. The cent doesn't buy anything in today's market. It is merely a token used to make odd change during cash purchases. The customer may have to use the, "Leave a penny, take a penny" bowl next to the cash register for correcting the balance. The penny can be put back into the bowl if the customer doesn't accept the return of pennies. It is neater than throwing them on the ground
The penny must be eliminated as quickly as possible. The United States is in massive debt and instead of cutting programs which are vital to the economy and to citizens of the United States, the United States must find ways to cut expenses in parts that are often over looked. One great way to cut down on unnecessary spending is the penny. Believe it or not, the penny, the smallest denomination of currency in the United States is a huge waste of money. The one cent denomination has no use. You can no longer “buy anything with a penny” anymore. (William) The only use the penny has is to pay for the taxes, which, can be rounded off to the nearest nickel thus obliterating the need for a penny.
In America, there is still a debate if the penny should be eliminated. If it was to be eliminated it would still be used, but in a minimal way. In Canada, the Canadian penny was eliminated due to cost, time, and the country believed it was a waste of money, “inflation reduced its purchasing power by 95% since it was first minted domestically in 1908: back then the cent could buy goods of the cost of $0.20, today in other words.”(The Economist). Once a small coin can no longer be used to buy individual items at that price, but it is only used to make change, it becomes more trouble than it is worth. Canadian pennies cost “1.6 Canadian cents to manufacture, and the government expected to save $11 million a year by eliminating them”(The Economist). But that sum equivalent to 0.0006% of GDP is small change. Canadians feel that eliminating pennies is that their feeble purchasing power means dealing with coins,
Its expansion has decreased its purchasing power by over 95% since it was first minted in 1908. Back in this time, one penny could buy whole goods. However, when a small coin can no longer buy singular items and is only used to make change, it becomes an unnecessary hassle. By eliminating the penny, the Canadian government saved over $11 million dollars in the first year, as it costs approximately 1.6cents each to manufacture. Nevertheless, the penny is being eliminated as having an ineffective purchasing power and making change to the exact cent is wasteful for consumers, retailers and business