A row has broken out over a measure
in the government's 2023 budget bill that raises the minimum
amount for which retailers are obliged to accept electronic
payments from 30 to 60 euros, with opposition parties and
consumer groups blasting the move.
The centre-left Democratic (PD) said it would encourage the use
of cash and thus hamper the fight against tax evasion, breaching
the commitments made to the EU for the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan (NRRP) in the process.
"It goes against the interest of millions of Italian people who
use electronic money every day and it is in contrast with the
NRRP," said the PD's economic pointman Antonio Misiani.
The National Union of Consumers (UNC) said it would ask the
European Commission to intervene.
"The government is making us go back to the Middle Ages, taking
sides against consumers and the needs of families," said UNC
President Massimiliano Dona.
"They think that they are protecting shopkeepers in this way
but, not realising that they are going against what is normal
all over Europe, they are actually going against the interests
of retailers, who have many advantages from electronic
payments".
European Commission spokesperson Veerle Nuyts said the EU
executive had not yet assessed the move as the budget is not in
its definitive version.
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