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Dear members of the Scrutiny panel,
I would like to submit a brief comment for the 'Acceptance of Cash Payments' survey.
Physical cash is the most democratic form of payment we currently have. Everyone - rich and poor, young and old - has the franchise of participation in cash.
For many years, credit and debit card companies, as well as banks, have spent large amounts of money promoting the use of card-based and other electronic payments. Nobody has done the same for cash. Of course, electronic payment processors stand to make money out of every transaction completed without cash, so it is in their interest to market electronic payment methods.
During and following the Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses worried that handling cash would significantly increase the risk of staff and customers contracting the disease. Research has found that this is not the case.
Other submissions the panel has received explain how for certain groups in society, the ability to pay in cash is especially important. I would urge the panel to protect and promote the use of cash in society as a form of payment that is a public good.
Yours faithfully,