The city Council of new York today began to discuss the possibility of a ban of non-cash payments for purchases of goods and services. Tomorrow, on Thursday, the Council will act as initiators of two different sentences, limiting clearing, and will Express its position. Both consider non-cash payments discriminate against those who cannot be a credit card.
A more radical proposal put forward by Richie Torres, the Bronx representative and member of today’s fights in the city Council around ethics and gays. Torres proposes to prohibit retailers in new York does not accept cash, and to impose penalties for those who do not obey. The project he proposed last fall, triggering a broad debate. He talked about «the racism of non-cash business model» that «what is happening is the delegitimization of cash, and I’m worried about the consequences of this», — explained his position Torres in Brooklyn Eagle. The inability to pay a cash infringes on the rights of the poor not having Bank accounts, and illegal immigrants. Today Torres together with activists from the Retail Action Project (RAP) and parents that do not have a Bank card, participates in a demonstration at Amazon bookstore in Manhattan. This network along with many others, does not accept cash, including the sale of children’s books.
According to the Urban Institute, in new York almost 12% of the population or 360 000 households do not have Bank accounts. This figure is above the average for the US (8%). Another 25% or 780,000 of new York households, lack of non-cash assets (the U.S. national average there are 20%). While in new York historically the entire area where banking services are less accessible, including to North and Central Brooklyn.
Professor of marketing at the University of Johnson and Wales Kristen Regin believes that revival of the cash flow in vain hostilely perceived trade networks:
«Many people think that cash is dirty and they don’t want to deal with them. For retailers more time-consuming to deal with the coordination of operations at the end of the day. And for the retailer who thinks about the checkout lines, it is simple and fast. Although the man working behind the counter, it is safer not to have on hand cash,» said Regain in an interview with Gotham Gazette.
In favor of cashless payments has always put forward the arguments of security. Clearing protects the outlets from the robbery of cash, and the society and the state from criminal money, making it difficult for criminal business and corruption and put the criminals before the need for subsequent legalization and laundering of income. Unlike Torres, Fernando Cabrera tomorrow will offer more than a compromise, suggesting the restrictions for those who want to stay in the clearing.
The vote tomorrow is not assumed, the city Council still only listen to the initiators of bills. And Torres and Cabrera, to put it mildly, is not yet confident that their ideas will be adopted quickly, but hope that over time they succeed to convince the city Council and the public of new York in rehabilitation cash. In an interview with Politico Torres said that «the idea that businesses are mobilizing against the bill because it «disrupts their status quo of convenience»».
