Italy’s newest prime minister Georgia Meloni is almost seeing an election promise come true. Her pledge that debit card payments should no longer be accepted appears to be getting a “deal” in the Italian parliament. The budget proposal gives Italian retailers the right to refuse digital payments for certain transactions.
Under Meloni’s predecessor Mario Draghi, retailers were forced to accept debit card payments from customers. The measure was a way to fight undeclared work and tax evasion. ‘Probably Meloni wants to welcome all those shopkeepers, bartenders and taxi drivers. They often complain that the fee they have to pay on debit card payments is very high. They feel ripped off, especially when it comes to paying small sums for a cappuccino, for example,’ says Italy correspondent Pauline Valkenet.
The Italian central bank warns that the cancellation of the measure will encourage the shadow economy. ‘Meloni is aware of the critical issues of the provision (…), which is why there is a lot of discussion on the subject. You have set the limit at 60 euros, below this amount shopkeepers can refuse debit card payments.’ However, according to Valkenet, you have already waived this limit amount. ‘He also wants to go down towards 40 and 30 euros. But despite the criticisms, she wants to stick to this measure.’
Source: BNR
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