Missouri lawmakers have moved forward with legislation that could enable residents to use gold and silver to make tax payments and potentially purchase other goods and services, signaling a notable departure from the exclusive reliance on fiat currency.
The proposal, embedded in a broader financial bill, aims to recognize precious metals as legal tender for public transactions, reflecting growing interest in monetary alternatives among Republican-led states.
Newsweek reports that if enacted, the bill would legally obligate the state to accept digital representations of these metals, adding Missouri to the list of states experimenting with commodity-backed payment systems in response to inflationary concerns.
Legal Tender Redefinition in Missouri
The Missouri state legislature approved an amendment this week that would designate gold and silver as legal tender for tax payments. The measure is included within a broader finance bill and would require the state to accept electronic forms of these metals for tax-related transactions.
Private businesses, however, are not required to accept payments in gold or silver under the current version of the bill. A previous draft, which proposed mandating such acceptance, drew pushback from the business community, leading to its revision.
Missouri, a Republican-leaning state with over six million residents, would join a small but growing list of states exploring alternatives to fiat currency in certain financial operations.
Political Motivations and Mixed Reactions
The amendment has received broad support among Republican lawmakers, who frame it as a response to concerns over monetary policy and inflation. Representative Bill Hardwick told The Kansas City Star :
The goal is about restoring economic and political freedom back to everyday Missourians.
In contrast, some Democrats have raised questions about the bill’s practicality. State Representative Kemp Strickler commented :
Assuming it gets signed, we’re in the ‘how do we implement’ stage.
State Senator John Rizzo expressed skepticism about its feasibility in daily life, saying in 2023 :
So when I go to a gas station and buy a Coke, a 20 ounce Coke, and I’d say, you know, here’s my gold… Are they gonna give me back money in gold?
Senator Bill Eigel, a Republican, framed the bill in partisan terms, stating to Missourinet :
You know, the mistreatment of the U.S. dollar by Democrat Joe Biden up in Washington, D.C. makes the urgency of passing a bill like the golds and silver bill even more pressing.
A National Trend Among Gop-Led States
Missouri is not alone in this push. Several GOP-led states have introduced similar legislation to redefine legal tender.
In Utah, lawmakers earlier in 2025 passed a bill that would establish a “precious metals-backed electronic payment platform,” according to the office of State Treasurer Marlo Oaks. The initiative was ultimately vetoed by Republican Governor Spencer Cox.
In Florida, the state Senate passed a bill aimed at legalizing gold and silver as tender, which is now under review by the House of Representatives. Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly expressed support for the proposal, according to Florida Politics.
