Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that she may water down plans to make it easier to settle small payments with cash rather than cards, following talks with the European Commission over the issue, according to Reuters.
Meloni’s right-wing government has presented a 2023 budget that scraps fines for retailers who refuse cards for payments under 60 euros ($63.23), in a move seen as going against the spirit of commitments taken with the EU.
„Until 60 euros, we would like not to force retailers to accept electronic payments. But let’s say that the 60-euro threshold is indicative, for me it could even be lower,” Meloni said in a video posted on Facebook.
Italy is the biggest recipient of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, standing to receive around 200 billion euros through 2026. But in return, it has to comply with a series of reform „targets and milestones.” One of them, hammered out under the former administration of Mario Draghi, was the introduction of sanctions for retailers who refuse card payments, as part of measures to fight tax evasion.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„So many people are coming here to Bucharest, people that I see and interact on linkedin and now I get the change to meet them in person. It was like being to the Football World Cup but this was the World Cup on linkedin in payments and open banking.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
