> Bitcoin has value because it's one of the only few currencies with fixed protocols and definite "game rules".
Yes, like I've said, the power of Bitcoin is solely in its marketing.
Yes, like I've said, the power of Bitcoin is solely in its marketing.
I can accept bitcoin, e-gold, marks, cattle, whatever I want as payment... no problem, until tax day rolls around.
At that point, I need to figure the value, in dollars, of the two sheep that bob gave me for helping him scale his wool broker website, and then I need to figure the value of the rusted out nissan I gave joe for the 128GiB ram that I used in the project, and from that figure the profit I made. I then need to pay taxes, in US dollars, on that profit.
So, it's not so much that I'm forced to accept payment in dollars as that accepting payment in anything else is a huge pain in the ass for my accountant.
(I am forced to pay my taxes in dollars, of course, but to me that seems pretty reasonable. All businesses choose what currencies they accept payment in. The fact that it's harder to avoid doing business with the government than with other businesses doesn't really change that.)