Can I pay for that with cash?

I stumbled across a youtube clip where an Australian tries to pay a fine, in 5 cent coins. I started to read around the comments where lots of people were saying it's legal tender, so I looked up 'Legal Tender' it turns out it isn't.

In fact you probably can't pay for 'that' in coins and given the rate of inflation unless the legislation is changed to reflect it we'll be struggling to pay for much at all in coins soon.

In the UK it is covered by the Coinage Act 1971 and the  Currency Act 1983

"Subject to any provision made by proclamation under section 3 of this Act, coins of cupronickel, silver or bronze shall be legal tender as follows:
(a)coins of cupronickel or silver of denominations of more than 10 pence, for payment of any amount not exceeding £10;
(b)coins of cupronickel or silver of denominations of not more than 10 pence, for payment of any amount not exceeding £5;
(c)coins of bronze, for payment of any amount not exceeding 20 pence"

But you can spend your £1, £2 and £5 as you like:

"(1)Gold coins shall be legal tender for payment of any amount, but shall not be legal tender if their weight has become less than that specified in Schedule 1 to this Act, or in the proclamation under which they are made, as the least current weight."


The Australians are more controlling about it.  No surprise there, if you think our government systems are 'jobsworth' you really should try to deal with theirs.

They have the Currency Act 1965 with minor amendments 1980 and 1981:

"16 Legal tender

(1) A tender of payment of money is a legal tender if it is made in coins that are made and issued under this Act and are of current weight:

(a) in the case of coins of the denomination of Five cents, Ten cents, Twenty cents or Fifty cents or coins of 2 or more of those denominations—for payment of an amount not exceeding $5 but for no greater amount;

(b) in the case of coins of the denomination of One cent or Two cents or coins of both of those denominations—for payment of an amount not exceeding 20 cents but for no greater amount;

(c) in the case of coins of a denomination greater than Fifty cents but less than Ten dollars—for payment of an amount not exceeding 10 times the face value of a coin of the denomination concerned but for no greater amount;

(d) in the case of coins of the denomination of Ten dollars—for payment of an amount not exceeding $100 but for no greater amount; and

(e) in the case of coins of another denomination—for payment of any amount."

 

So for $1 coins you can only spend $10 and $20 in $2 coins. 

 

Have you seen the price of food there recently?! $10 isn't going very far.

 

 

I think the guy in the clip has a fairly bad attitude but who hasn't felt like that when trying to deal with officialdom on receipt of a parking ticket often received we feel unfairly.

Have a look and see what you think.  But don't go trying to pay for so much as a screwball with more than 20p worth of tuppences or you might also find yourself having a similar conversation with the hokey pokey man.