每一分錢都很重要：關於單美分硬幣的事實

一分錢是美國造幣廠於1792年建立後不久製造的第一批硬幣。 。

The penny debate has been going on for decades, with no clear resolution in sight. Here's a closer look at the arguments for and against eliminating the one-cent coin.

一分錢的辯論已經進行了數十年，沒有明確的解決方案。這是一個更仔細的觀察，並反對消除單美分硬幣的論點。

The main argument against the penny is that it costs more to make than its value. A 2024 U.S. Mint report says the unit cost for the one-cent coin is more than 3.69 cents and has exceeded its face value for 19 years. And according to a 2014 U.S. Mint report: “There are no alternative metal compositions that reduce the manufacturing unit cost of the penny below its face value.”

反對一分錢的主要論點是，它的成本要高於其價值。一份2024年的美國薄荷報告稱，單美分硬幣的單位成本超過3.69美分，超過了19年的面值。並根據2014年的美國薄荷報告：“沒有其他金屬成分可以將一分錢的製造單位成本降低到其面值以下。”

Producing pennies also takes a toll on the environment due to the carbon dioxide emissions, pollutants, and energy use associated with mining the ores to make the coins.

由於二氧化碳的排放，污染物和能源使用與挖掘礦石以製成硬幣有關，因此生產的便士也會對環境造成損失。

But even costs aside, Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw argued against the one-cent coin on the basis of its lack of everyday utility, writing in a 2006 Wall Street Journal editorial: “The purpose of the monetary system is to facilitate exchange, but I have to acknowledge that the penny no longer serves that purpose. When people start leaving a monetary unit at the cash register for the next customer, the unit is too small to be useful. I know that some people will be upset when their favorite aphorisms become anachronistic, but a nickel saved is also a nickel earned.”

但是，即使是一定的，哈佛大學的經濟學家N. Gregory Mankiw在2006年華爾街日報社論中寫道：“貨幣體系的目的是促進交換，但我必須承認，一分錢不再有目的。當人們開始為下一個客戶留下貨幣單位時，該單位太小而無法有用。我知道，當他們最喜歡的格言過時時，有些人會感到沮喪，但是保存的鎳也是鎳的。”

Indeed, according to the Federal Reserve, the purchasing power of a penny declined more than 30-fold between 1900 and 2022. In 2015, former U.S. Mint Director Philip N. Diehl wrote, “Today, the value of a penny has shrunk to the point that, if you earn more than the minimum wage, you’re losing money stopping and picking up a penny on the sidewalk.”

確實，根據美聯儲的說法，一分錢的購買力在1900年至2022年之間下降了30倍以上。2015年，美國前造幣廠董事菲利普·迪爾（Philip N. Diehl）寫道：“今天，一分錢的價值已經縮水到了指出，如果您的收入超過最低工資，那麼您將損失錢停下來並在人行道上撿起一分錢。”

Not everyone is on board with pinching the penny. Mark Weller, executive director of the pro-penny group Americans for Common Cents (ACC), responded to DOGE on Jan. 23, asserting that the government “won’t save money if the penny is eliminated” and that such a move would instead “have a massive negative impact on the US Mint’s cost structure.” The group argues that eliminating the penny would require producing more nickels to “fill the gap in small-value transactions.” But nickels suffer from a similar “seigniorage” problem: the 2024 U.S. Mint report said the five-cent coins have a unit cost of 13.78 cents each.

並不是每個人都在捏一分錢。 Pro-Penny Group美國人普通美分（ACC）的執行董事Mark Weller在1月23日對Doge做出了回應，他斷言政府“如果消除了一分錢，就不會省錢”，而這樣的舉動將相反“對美國造幣廠的成本結構產生巨大的負面影響。”該組織認為，消除一分錢將需要產生更多的鎳來“填補小價值交易中的空白”。但是鎳含量類似“ Seignierage”問題：2024年美國薄荷報告說，五美分硬幣的單位成本為13.78美分。

ACC also points to polling that shows Americans generally favor keeping the penny in circulation. (Other polls, however, say otherwise). And even the anti-penny comedian John Oliver can’t deny the sentimental value of chucking a penny into a fountain to make a wish or spitefully paying someone in a stash of one-cent coins.

ACC還指出民意調查表明，美國人通常贊成將一分錢保持流通。 （但是，其他民意調查）。即使是反個人公司的喜劇演員約翰·奧利弗（John Oliver）也無法否認將一分錢納入噴泉的情感價值，以實現願望或付出一個單身的付款，以單美分的硬幣付錢。

Other arguments against the elimination of the penny come from economists who say that eliminating the one-cent coin would have disproportionate impacts on the poor. Retired Pennsylvania State University Prof. Raymond Lombra, a former senior staff economist at the Federal Reserve Board, has argued that a resultant “rounding tax” on consumers who use cash would be regressive because the poor tend to use cash more. An economics student in Canada, which stopped minting one-cent coins in

反對消除一分錢的其他論點來自經濟學家，他們說消除單美分的硬幣會對窮人產生不成比例的影響。賓夕法尼亞州立大學退休的賓夕法尼亞州立大學教授雷蒙德·洛姆布拉（Raymond Lombra）是美聯儲委員會的前高級職員經濟學家雷蒙德·洛姆布拉（Raymond Lombra），他辯稱，使用現金的消費者對消費者的“匯總稅”將是回歸的，因為窮人傾向於更多地使用現金。加拿大的一名經濟學學生，停止在