MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The modification of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, which guarantees payment in cash in any establishment, since it prevents denying this possibility to customers, comes into force this Saturday, May 28.
Specifically, article 82.4 of Royal Decree-Law 24/2021, of November 2, comes into force, which includes the recognition of infractions and sanctions in matters of consumer protection.
This article modifies article 47 of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users on infractions in matters of consumer protection, by contemplating as an infraction the “refusal to accept payment in cash as a means of payment within the limits established by tax regulations and prevention and fight against tax fraud”.
In general, this infringement will be considered minor, although it could become serious or very serious under certain conditions, such as taking advantage of the need for certain products or services, being a repeat offender in practice or producing serious, unjustified and foreseeable social disturbances, among others. others.
The sanction contemplated for carrying out minor infractions ranges between 150 and 10,000 euros, “being able to exceed these amounts until reaching between two and four times the illicit benefit obtained.”
At the time of approval of the Royal Decree-Law, the Denaria Platform applauded this initiative to guarantee the right of consumers to pay in cash and the application of sanctions to establishments that refuse to accept this payment method.
In fact, this week, the platform has organized a conference entitled ‘Access to cash, a universal right and a barrier against financial exclusion’, where the speakers have agreed to value the “essential” role that the cash meets the proper functioning of society and the economy.
“Right now, working capital is higher than ever and, furthermore, we must not forget that there are 1.6 billion unbanked people in the world, so we cannot discuss cash without taking into account that there are important segments of population, as well as in rural areas, whose daily activity depends on cash and, therefore, would be totally excluded”, highlighted the general director of the National Currency and Stamp Factory (FNMT), María Valldecabres.
The Denaria Platform has presented a series of proposals aimed at avoiding financial exclusion, among which the elimination of restrictions on the handling of cash stands out, following the Royal Decree-Law that comes into force this Saturday.
Another of the measures proposed by the organization is the preparation of a map of risks and situations of financial exclusion taking into account geographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors, to serve as a basis for the deployment of solutions that ensure the right of access to cash. and other financial services, with an essential, viable and sustainable infrastructure.
In this sense, and in order to improve this access to cash, the Denaria Platform promotes the establishment of a maximum distance between ATMs as the main and most effective measure.
It is also contemplated, among other initiatives, to define the cash network as a Critical National Infrastructure; design plans by Local Entities (EELL) focused on financing the implementation of ATMs in rural and depopulated areas through public-private collaboration; and enhance the role of Correos as an instrument to ensure the performance of basic financial operations.