What? That doesn't even make any sense. You can sell the bitcoin for USD then pay your taxes. Just like you can't pay your taxes with 1 billion dollars worth of Facebook stock or gold.

The argument you are looking for is: "USD has value BECAUSE the state makes you pay your taxes in it."

Notice that that argument does not end with, "and this is the only way a commodity or currency can have value." Because there are different reasons that different things have value and more than one thing has value.

Your comment is intellectually lazy and you don't have to believe in crypto to come to this conclusion.

You are assuming his intent without asking, and you are calling that intellectually lazy. What?

You do not pay taxes with bitcoin because the government does not accept it. Simple as that. Not lazy, just fact.

> What? That doesn't even make any sense. You can sell the bitcoin for USD then pay your taxes.

If that's the logic we're going with, I can pay my taxes with baseball cards and beanie babies too.

That's a great analogy, thanks for posting. I'm going to use that. I think it really will help drive home the speculative nature of the markets right now, especially to total newcomers who just want a quick buck.

Actually you can (depending on the place where you live): http://fortune.com/2017/09/12/switzerland-chiasso-bitcoin-ta...

I can't pay my taxes in USD

as you can't pay them with gold..

Gold doesn't claim to be a currency just as real as the Dollar.

You know, I'm willing to bet if you showed up at your local tax collector's with a large enough chunk of gold, they'd work with you.

Yes, but if you showed up in Tax Court with a chunk of gold, you would risk being held in contempt.

A 1-ounce gold coin issued by the US Mint is legal tender to the tune of $50. It says so right on the coin.

If you want to pay your taxes using gold coins, go right ahead. They will gladly accept it.