Canada To Stop Making Pennies

New submitter butilikethecookie writes with news that the 2012 federal budget for Canada calls for the Royal Canadian Mint to stop producing pennies. "The budget calls the lowly penny a 'burden to the economy.' 'It costs the government 1.6 cents to produce each new penny,' the budget says, adding the government will save about $11 million a year with its elimination (PDF). Some Canadians, it says, consider the penny more of a nuisance than a useful coin. ... Rounding prices will become the norm as the penny is gradually removed from circulation, the budget says. If consumers find themselves without pennies, cash transactions should be rounded to the nearest five-cent increment 'in a fair and transparent manner,' it says. Noncash payments such as checks and credit cards will continue to be settled by the cent, however."

Comments

Re:Just like in Norway too

[Reverand Dave]

4. (and my main personal concern with it) it's harder to budget when you're paying with plastic, because the money is not tangible.

Wow so do you not know how to use a calculator or at least count money that isn't physically in your hands? I mean you're at the very least capable of using the internet, WTH can't you just make the next logical step and use your computer to do some simple mathematics and learn to budget your money without having to look at it in your hands?