Although it was previously planned to move away from traditional money in Norway, the new law maintains the universal option of paying in cash. The government justifies this due to the habits of older people and safety reasons.
From October 1, no Norwegian entrepreneur can refuse to accept a cash payment from a customer, as long as the amount due does not exceed PLN 20,000. crowns (approx. PLN 7.4 thousand). The new regulations do not cover payments in doctor's offices and on public transport.
Norway Cash
Minister of Justice and Interior Emilie Enger Mehl admitted in an interview with TV2 that not everyone used digitization of payments. According to recent research, up to 600,000 Norwegians consciously do not use electronic payment solutions. That's over 10 percent. the country's population; the majority are seniors.
– We need to address people who have difficulties using digital means of payment. In today's world, it is easy to forget that there is a large group of people who are not digital – emphasized Enger Mehl.
As she added, the return to traditional money is to prepare Norway to a possible failure of electronic payment systems – both for technical reasons and due to interference by special services of other countries or hacker groups. In such cases, cash is, according to Enger Mehl, the safest solution.
However, accountants expressed doubts. Regnskap Norge, Norway's largest chamber of commerce associating accounting specialists, calls the new regulations “a gift for criminals” in a statement. The general director of the chamber, Rune Aale-Hansen, emphasized that it is the criminal world that most often uses cash. He also argued that, according to his institution's calculations, “completely eliminating cash could reduce the costs of doing business in Norway by over 10 billion kroner (approx. PLN 3.7 billion).”
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