In Switzerland ordinary people started several initiatives to protect their savings against the establishment. After the first gold referendum failed in November 2014, a new gold initiative is trying to introduce a gold-backed Swiss currency, as parallel currency or investment vehicle.
With the end of the EUR/CHF peg and the apparent risks caused by the SNB, some voices like the Austrian economist Keith Weiner see the Swiss franc collapse. Different groups want to introduce parallel currencies in addition to the Swiss franc. CHF is based on fractional reserve banking and according to the critics, its quantity, the money supply, is increasing too rapidly.
A sound money initiative (German “Vollgeld”) wants to abolish fractional reserve banking, while the “gold franc initiative” desires a gold-backed currency. Already now, the so-called WIR money (“Our Money”), currency code CHW is a local currency created during the Great Depression. “WIR money” allows to borrow and lend, in particular for real estate. It is fully backed by commodities like real estate. By law, parallel currencies like WIR money are no legal tenders. Due to lacks of convertibility in foreign currency, WIR money trades at a slight discount to the Swiss franc. This, however, might change when the SNB gets further in negative equity.
In the following we will compare the two gold initiatives
1) Save our Swiss gold and
2) The Gold franc.
1) The initiative: “Save our Swiss Gold” lost in November 2014
The Swiss People’s Party wanted to “Save Swiss Gold” and give more credibility to the SNB’s monetary policy and the Swiss Franc. The initiative would require that the SNB;
- Does not sell anymore of it’s gold reserves
- Must not let gold reserves fall below 20%
- Must hold all gold reserves in Switzerland
After the government voted against the original initiative the SVP collected the 100k signatures needed to hold a referendum.
If the vote is “yes” the SNB has;
- 2 years to repatriate it’s gold reserves
- 5 years to reach the 20% reserve level
This would mean that Switzerland would have to buy around 1500 tons of gold over 5 years.
Did you know:
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Read more about it in “SNB Concerned”: Does a Yes to the Swiss Gold Referendum Imply an End of the CHF Cap? and the results
“Save Our Swiss Gold” has taken place on November 30th 2014
The following is about the less known initiative “the gold franc”, that has been postponed to avoid conflicts with “Save Our Gold”.
2) Referendum initiative: “The Gold Franc”, a gold-backed Swiss currency
After the Swiss economic commission rejected the idea of a gold franc, the gold franc association took the way of the referendum initiative. The initiative will be started after the “Save our Swiss Gold” referendum. Its aim is also to weaken the strong Swiss franc a bit. This would be possible if investors that want to preserve their wealth, preferred the parallel currency, the gold franc.
Here the presentation from http://www.goldfranc.org/
The Gold Franc, a gold coin currency
The Problem
The Swiss Franc has lost roughly 90% of its value during the last century. It’s future is uncertain and not only depending on the Swiss National Bank’s strategy, but also on the developments in the international monetary system and in particular on European and American politics.
The Idea
The existing monetary system is based on the principle of paper money. This means that dollars, euros and even Swiss francs can be printed without limits and this could lead to the partial or total loss of purchasing power of all savings and pensions. Gold cannot be printed and has been used for thousands of years as a medium of exchange, as a hedge and as a nest egg. Gold coins are the precursor and the origin of paper money and the ideal hedge against the uncertainties in today’s financial system.
The Proposal
A new amendment to the Swiss constitution creates the legal foundation to introduce constitutionally protected private gold coins.
Article 99bis (new)
Swiss Gold Coins
1. The Federal government shall define the rules for the issuance of a set of quickly and easily tradable gold coins with a solid, clearly recognizable gold content starting at 0.1 grams.
2. The issuance of the coins (production, coinage, placing on the market) is provided by Swiss companies. The coins bear a unified symbol of Swiss origin, indicate the gold content in grams and a freely designed identification of the issuer.
3. The issuance, acquisition and trading of the gold coins are tax and duty free.
Three Advantages
Simple
Buying and selling of gold becomes easier and cheaper.
Today the popular Swiss gold coins “Vreneli” cost around Fr. 250.- and need expert advice. The smallest gold coins will cost around Fr. 5.- and be available via vending machines. Gold coins will become as common and as familiar as Dollars and Euros today.Practical
Small denominations make possible new uses.
Coins of different size will be available, with the smallest containing as little as 0.1g gold in the form of a “Gold Core Coin”. This makes gold suitable for savings- and pension plans, in life insurance products and for marketing purposes. Last but not least the Gold Coins can supplement and partially replace the Swiss Franc in it’s function as a save haven currency and thus ease the upward pressure on the exchange rate.Safe
The gold coins are protected by the Swiss Constitution.
The private production and issuance of gold coins is illegal in Switzerland and the tax free status for gold as an investment is only regulated in an ordinance, which can be changed at any time. The new constitutional article will eliminate these disadvantages and maybe even become a model that other countries will want to follow.