“It is not that raising the ceiling below which merchants are not required to accept electronic payment every day solves a problem that no one probably wants to see. The problem is called Committees. From 2015 to today, the number of points of sale has doubled without any threat of penalties, but no one has ever touched the costs of using cards that Reduce profit margins On some products”. Confesercenti Toscana Nord, with its president Alessio Lucarotti, intervenes in the debate these days about the ceiling to be included in the budget maneuver under which there is no obligation to accept electronic cards. He intervenes with concrete examples.
“A tobacconist who replenishes a car tax of 50 euros for one of his customers has a profit margin of 1 euro – explains Lucarotti – if the stamp duty or any other invoice is paid by credit card, the commissions are in fact reset or almost the profit. A refill is €50 worth of petrol, which is paid for with some credit cards, takes the gas station operator’s margin even less than zero.So the solution isTax evasion Is accepting electronic payments mandatory? Well, we agree: we don’t want to label entire categories as “crafty.” However, the costs of all small transactions with POS and credit cards of up to 50 euros must be reduced to zero and, if you wish, at this point the penalties must also be retained. “But in discussion these days, according to Confesercenti Tuscany Nord Nobody talks about commissions.
Again, the President: “We have always believed that increasing the prevalence and use of credit and debit cards is appropriate and beneficial. Also because Dealing with cash is a burdenThese are not immediately visible costs but there is, from the risk of thefts to the need for insurance and security systems, the problem of counterfeit banknotes. Precisely for this reason, points of sale have been adopted by companies even without penalties: in 2021 there were 3.9 million, more than double the number in 2015. Electronic financial transactions have also literally exploded in the last two years, thanks to the pandemic; The boom which, however, has significant costs for operators between commissions and device purchase/lending. This is why we always ask, especially for some categories, about lower commissions on small payments. Let’s refresh the network, provide everyone with contactless point of sale and fast reading. Also as far as we are concerned, we think it is right for those who want to pay by credit card to do so. But until the commission costs are reimbursed, you cannot be required to accept electronic payments and lose. Especially with regard to services useful to citizens such as paying bills, fines and others, which moved with the reduction of ATMs and post offices in the region to shops, newsagents and cigarette sellers. But with 10 vouchers of 100 euros a day paid with some card, the merchant loses ten euros.