The two weeks old demonetisation tsunami is still reverberating through the nation’s socioeconomic fabric. This one-time flushing of a chunk of black money is a significant blow to its users, but a lasting impact requires several other steps. Our decades’ long, utopian thrust on capping campaign expenses has not worked, it has only pushed money under the carpet. This is the root cause, the motivation for black money, and for the mechanisms that generate it. Rather than expense caps, it is far more important to ensure that campaign funds are from traceable, tax-compliant sources. Thus, the floor of Rs.20,000, below which political contributions can be received anonymously, must be drastically lowered. Next, there must be state funding to help level the playing field between the wealthy and the popular. Finally, audits of candidates’ and parties’ accounts must be made mandatory, and the tax exemptions they now receive be limited to funds that are traceable and tax-compliant.