Mexico accepts artwork as currency for settling tax debts

Do you remember the scene in Pollock where he settles his grocery bill with a painting? How about stories of businesses saving Picasso’s personal checks because his signature was often worth more than the tab? It turns out that the Mexican government has had a long standing artwork-as-currency policy, at least for settling tax debts. USA Today recently ran a great piece on the practice.

Established in 1957, Mexico’s Tax Administration Service began accepting artworks and and displaying them in museums, government offices and various international exhibitions. To date, the government has amassed a collection of over 2,400 works from the likes of Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo.

Can any citizen pay their taxes with a piece of refrigerator art? No. The artist must be of recognized stature and the pieces are juried for artistic merit before being accepted. Additionally, the porgram only accepts visual art, not music or literature.

More from USA Today. Search the database of tax paying artists here.