31st October, 2035. You must go shopping.

You have 3 hours until the deadline.

Then your money disappears.

***

Each citizen collects their nutritional basics in exchange for their government issued digital currency.

Every movement in and out of your account is monitored.

Taxes, surcharges and obligatory purchases leave most people with little money to spend.

Financial crime no longer exists.

Every penny is accounted for.

No off-the-books payments.

No under-the-counter deals.

No overcharging.

No cash.

Be careful who you pay.

Break the rules and your money is expunged.

So you don’t break the rules. Ever.

Still, your money has an expiry date.

You can’t buy a single portion of meat, a car, a property because you’ve had your quota.

And at the push of a button, the bank can double the supply and the currency in your account halves in purchasing power. Spend your money. Spend it now, in the next three hours, or it’s gone.

Nobody wanted it this way, but once the central bank took control, there was nothing to stop them changing the rules little by little.

So you go shopping.

You collect your food.

And you know your purchase has been logged and observed.

***

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