“No, sorry: cash only”. Many shopkeepers repeat this phrase every day to refuse payments with debit and credit cards. In theory they could not, because the 2016 maneuver introduced the obligation to have a Pos for almost all merchants and most professionals. However, the law does not provide for penalties for those who violate this rule, which therefore remains largely unapplied. Of this problem it has been discussed for some time now, but this time it seems that the government is willing to find a solution.
On Monday, the Council of Ministers approved a decree transposing the European directive on payment services (the PSD 2 – Payment Services Directive). This provision has been talked about mainly because it lowers interchange fees on card payments, reducing costs precisely for merchants. But that doesn't mean it ends here.
The ball now passes to the Treasury, which could finally introduce penalties for merchants allergic to debit and credit cards.
HOW COMMISSIONS ON BANCOMAT AND CREDIT CARDS CHANGE
For payments by debit card, prepaid card and debit card, the ceiling on the interchange fee on each transaction drops from 0,5 to 0,2% of the amount. In the case of credit cards, however, the maximum limit drops from 0,7 to 0,3% of the transaction value. Thanks to these changes, traders across the EU will save around €10 billion a year.
SANCTIONS FOR THOSE WHO REFUSE CARD PAYMENTS
The other side of the coin is the fine for those who accept only cash, a hypothesis that has already sparked the ire of Confcommercio. The amount of the penalties will not be astronomical: just 30 euros for each payment refused. After all, the goal of the state is not to raise cash, but to convince even the most refractory traders to have a Pos.
In reality, the obligation will not only concern those who have a shop, but also thousands of craftsmen and professionals, from plumbers to dentists. In this way, perhaps, Italy will rise in the European ranking of digital payments. At present, according to theObservatory on the diffusion of digital payments created by The European House – Ambrosetti, we are fourth last. Worse than us only Romania, Greece and Bulgaria.
