>Now the businesses are free to accept it or not instead of being required to accept it. That's all.
Right, so it's no longer legal tender.
Right, so it's no longer legal tender.
For instance, the euro is legal tender in the eurozone. I can pay a tax bill or a bank loan with 10cent coins, and technically they have to accept that (though note that some countries do have special rules around whether small change is legal tender). However, a merchant is not required to take my wheelbarrow full of 10cent coins in exchange for goods and services; no debt exists before the purchase.
El Salvador was forcing the merchant to take the wheelbarrow.