People often say, "Money doesn't smell." Some understand these words literally, while others put a figurative meaning in them. What secret is enclosed in this orderly worn-out expression if it has not lost its relevance for more than 20 centuries?
The smell of income is good ...
“Money doesn’t smell” - this phraseological unit was born as an ironic commentary on the dialogue that took place between the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son Titus.
Once the Roman treasury was deserted, as Vespasian’s numerous ambitious projects already lacked current income. The emperor found a non-trivial way out of the situation by taxing newly established public restrooms.
Titus began to rebuke his father for an unaesthetic solution to the issue. Instead of answering, Vespasian handed his son the money received from the introduction of the new tax and asked if he could smell it. Titus answered in the negative. Then the emperor noted with satisfaction that urine is the source of money.
This episode formed the basis of one of the satirical works of Juvenal. The cynical expression “money does not smell”, beloved by many, is a short, prosaic version of one of his poetic lines.
Going past the coin shop ...
Vespasian was definitely lucky that at the time of his dialogue with his son, the Romans had precisely metallic money in common. If by that time banknotes had been invented, the world would have lost a well-known saying.
Modern paper money is made from wood pulp (pulp) and a mixture of cotton and linen fibers. A specially prepared cloth is soaked in gelatin to give it more strength, and holograms, polymer or metallized threads are inserted into it to protect the national currency from fakes.
Rubles smell of printing ink ...
The Russian currency really does not differ in any specific smell. New rubles smell almost the same as fresh newspapers. Souvenir Olympic 100 rubles were pleased with the original vertical design, but did not smell anything special. Apparently, the developers were not given the task of somehow flavoring domestic banknotes.
Many believe that the new American dollars smell like green apples. In fact, North American money doesn't smell anything. The main role in the distribution of this story was played by the green color of the notes, and not their particular apple flavor.
Not so long ago, the Bank of Canada had to officially refute reports that it is issuing banknotes with the smell of maple syrup. In fact, not so long ago, Canada completely switched to banknotes, which are made of a transparent and well-flexible polypropylene film.
They can be wrinkled, folded and even washed in a washing machine. Unfortunately, plastic money shrinks when exposed to heat and is electrified. But they are much more difficult to fake, and they are 2.5 times more durable than ordinary money.
Each bill has a special smell ...
The expression “money does not smell” can easily be refuted by any cashier who encounters large amounts of cash in terms of service. Bank employees working at the cash desk are very enthusiastic about what the bills that come to them smell like.
“The proceeds of various enterprises and organizations are brought to the cash depository,” says the cashier of the evening cash desk of one of the major commercial banks. “I can already tell by smell what of our customers the collection service has visited today.” Indeed, banknotes that have been in rooms with a sharp, stable odor for a long time will surely absorb it.
Unfortunately, the daily revenue of the bakery will not please you with the smell of fresh pastries. But the money that has been in the hands of the employees of the enterprise pouring sweet carbonated drinks will stink for some time with the smell of pear or orange essence.
Well-worn ten-ruble pieces give out mustiness, and the favorite smell for all cashiers was the aroma of molten plastic, which comes from banknotes sealed in vacuum packaging.
Only taxes do not smell in any way ...
Following the emperor Vespasian, the tax authorities of some of the leading European powers also decided that the money did not smell. The value of this expression was fully appreciated by athletes coming to Austrian ski resorts.
The authorities of this country have introduced the so-called "tax on gypsum", the purpose of which is to compensate for the cost of medical care for tourists injured and trapped in the hospitals there. The presence of medical insurance, in this case, is not taken into account.
Since 1993, a shadow tax has been levied in Venice. They overlaid the owners of those buildings, whose visors cast a shadow on municipal land. When calculating the amount of tax, the number of cloudy days per year is not taken into account.
Since 2008, the Estonian government has levied an “environmental tax” on cow owners. Local cows were recognized as the main air pollutants in this country.
Similar examples once again confirm that the principles of taxation have not changed much since the time of the Roman Empire. The state is able to extract income from the most unexpected sources, since non-cash money does not smell by definition.