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Denmark ponders allowing shops go cash-free

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posted on May, 7 2015 @ 01:42 PM
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Well I see it has begun. Danish government is going to exempt most retail shops from being mandatory to accept cash for payments. Supposedly cash is too expensive to handle security wise, and many people in the country are already using their phones to pay for their day to days. I would vote with my money and be like "hey you don't accept cash, well I will just shop at your nearest competitor who does" and then make sure to bring the receipt back to prove it. Hey whatever though, as long as they don't pull this in the USA we should be fine. Of course we all know this is just the beginning. We will start to hear about it in America probably in a couple of generations after much of Europe has gone cashless.


Denmark ponders allowing shops go cash-free


The proposal is supported by the Danish Chamber of Commerce which agrees that it is time to give shops the option to go cash-free.
“Society has changed so much that there is no longer a need for requirements on cash payments. Plus, cash has become tremendously expensive to handle due to security reasons,” chamber spokesman Henrik Hytolft was quoted as saying by The Local.

The government’s move is not likely to meet opposition in Denmark, where cash payments have become less popular than those made by mobile phone or credit card.

Almost 1.8 million people in Denmark’s 5.6 million population use MobilePay, a smartphone application, to transfer money to other phones and shops. Sweden, Denmark and Finland lead the European Union in credit card payments per person.

Stores in Denmark can begin rejecting cash on January 1, 2016, if the government proposal is approved.


Other resources on the matter.

Cash money disappears (within 5 years) – Netherlands, Europe

German central banker cites Dostoyevsky in defence of hard cash

Nordic countries point the way to cashless societies

God save us all!



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:19 PM
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This is nuts.

Cash transactions don't just happen at legitimate businesses, they also happen between everyday people.

Let's say your neighbour wants to sell their old lawnmower for $25, how would you go about purchasing it from them ?

I suspect the little people will start dealing in trade goods if this cashless society thing comes to fruition... "Want to buy my old lawn mower ? I'll take a couple dozen of your garden tomatoes in trade."



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:28 PM
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a reply to: DYepes
I hate to agree with a central banker but he is right, if we loose the right to hold cash for ourselves, we loose something irreplaceable. A card can be snatched by a machine and then what do you do - you have no alternatives and Barter Town only exists for Mad Max.

It would give a set of people and government total control over our lives and with the way that for some living on benefit and been messed about in the past when mistakes are made, one could starve unless you have family or friends to help you if they cock up.

I think the Scandinavians allowing the bankers to get away without having to handle cash are mad, its just extra profit for less service for them.

Handling cash employs a lot of people so all those jobs would go which is another downside to having no cash. Getting a bit like Revelation where you won't be able to buy or sell unless you have the number of the beast blah blah. Can't help wondering if that isn't a bit deja vu.

and then you get into the problem of going to countries where cash is used if you go on holiday



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:31 PM
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a reply to: CranialSponge

well now to be fair they mentioned the will only give retailers the option of not accepting cash. For the time being, if a neighbor wanted to purchase a lawn mower for $25 in cash, he still could. If you wanted to buy the lawnmower at a retail store however, they could refuse to accept cash.

I suggest a pawn shop, as I firmly believe a pawn shop would rather close up shop than to stop dealing in cash.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:32 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

This is just another way for the goverment to make sure they cash there taxes

There is tax on everything in Denmark, its insane! Do we get great welfare for this? Not really...

The current goverment are known liars, just like their opposition and people are getting very tired of this

Hopefully people will spend their cash in shops still accepting cash, but my guess is that the goverment will just tax cash transactions even more...



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:33 PM
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Denmark has their own payment called DanKort.

Even their busses are now electronic (the rollout was a joke though).

They HAVE the facilities and have a lot of transactions cashfree already.

It is no big leap to do this.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:44 PM
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a reply to: NoFearsEqualsFreeMan

man tax cash?? Thats some ironic ish since paying in cash in many businesses is traditionally a way of avoiding paying tax. Most thrift and flea market vendors will not collect the tax if paid in cash since they do not have to record the transaction. all a business has to do to not be taxed for paying cash is not record the transaction. Thats why I always tip in a restaurant or barber with cash.

What would this do to the service industry?? Now on top of meager hourly wages as a waiter/waitress, you would have to pay taxes on all your tips if your job refuses cash. Noone is getting rich on tip money except strippers, so I find it may be an unfortunate inevitability for the service industry in a few years.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:47 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

What's with the 'allowing' stores to go cashless thing?
I am free in the UK to accept or refuse whatever form of payment I wish as I offer my services, cash/cheque/card/bank transfer/cabbages, whatever.

Why in my right mind I would ever refuse cash I can't imagine though, I'd lose 90% of my work lol.
...didn't realise Denmark hard such restrictive trade practices forcing the particular choice method of payment on private businesses.
edit on 7.5.2015 by grainofsand because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 02:52 PM
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a reply to: grainofsand

Well I think most countries actually require by law a registered tax paying business to accept the legal tender/currency of said country as a form of payment. So one could reject credit/debit cards, but not the legal notes and coin of that country. You would have to at least accept the nation cash in which you practice your business This move would allow a business to outright reject cash if they so choose.

I will have to research if cash is protected as a payment method by law in the USA.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 03:13 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

Not in the UK.
I can demand whatever form of payment I like for any service or product I supply as a private business.
I cannot discriminate on race/gender/religion etc, but I can certainly discriminate on my preferred method of payment if I wish.
How sensible a business move that may or may not be is another issue, but there are no laws in the UK requiring businesses to adopt any particular method of payment.
Perhaps we are not so oppressed here after all.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 03:20 PM
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originally posted by: DYepes
a reply to: NoFearsEqualsFreeMan

man tax cash?? Thats some ironic ish since paying in cash in many businesses is traditionally a way of avoiding paying tax. Most thrift and flea market vendors will not collect the tax if paid in cash since they do not have to record the transaction. all a business has to do to not be taxed for paying cash is not record the transaction. Thats why I always tip in a restaurant or barber with cash.

What would this do to the service industry?? Now on top of meager hourly wages as a waiter/waitress, you would have to pay taxes on all your tips if your job refuses cash. Noone is getting rich on tip money except strippers, so I find it may be an unfortunate inevitability for the service industry in a few years.


We do pay to use our cards (not tax, just the bankster earning more mony), i wouldnt be suprised to have to pay for cash transactions to, there is MUCH control with the shops, so it is hard for most businesses to avoid paying taxes.
This is to get control over the costumers, so they cant spend money earned without paying taxes first

We have cashless banks allready, i cant pay my bills in a bank near me, with cash, they dont accept them


We dont have the same system with tipping a waiter/waitress like you do in the states, the only ones expecting tips in denmark, are people working in casinos
We do pay tips if we want to, but it is not normal - people are getting high wages for those jobs, so i quess it hasnt been necessary to do so, and it ain in our cultur to do so, unless we are on vacation

But we are properly the country in the world, paying most taxes - ex to buy a car you have to pay almost double price, just in tax!



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 03:34 PM
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a reply to: grainofsand

well I found some information pertaining to this discussion on my first search.

Businesses Must Accept “Dollars,” but Not Cash
This means that US notes and coins are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. However, although businesses must accept dollars, that doesn’t mean they literally have to take your big wad of bill,s which is bulky, difficult to make change for, and, frankly, a breeding ground for germs. A vendor can usually put reasonable conditions on the manner in which they will accept dollars, and one of those conditions can be that they’ll only accept dollars electronically, via credit card. Or, as the US Treasury explains on their website, “Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise.”

So far, Legal Lad has yet to find a state law that mandates payment in cash. In fact, as we discussed in our earlier episodes, courts in a number of states have dismissed challenges to various no-cash policies.

- See more at: www.quickanddirtytips.com...


So although a business must accept dollars, it does not have to be physical. What a shame. A commentor also pointed out that all that would do is add an extra cost of doing business for the merchant and the customer alike.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 03:44 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

That is interesting, and almost similar to the situation in the UK but for different reasons.
I can accept an amount of cabbages as a price for me to plaster someone's ceiling, or repair their stone wall.
As a business person, I have to file an annual tax return so I am required to convert that pile of cabbages into an amount in £Pound Sterling every april in my accounts.

I am free to trade and demand whatever I like in payment, but if say it was in cabbages, and I had too many to eat myself, then I would presumably have to sell the rest so either that sale would be represented in a bank transfer payment, or someone else trades me a thousand carrots for them and the 'uncalculated barter' thing continues without a monetary value in the accounts.

There is no requirement on any business to trade (or not) in cash/cheque/bank transfer/cabbages/whatever, just to declare their annual accounts to HMRC (tax authorities) every April in a £Pound Sterling value.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 04:13 PM
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a reply to: grainofsand

Now just to clarify, if you did accept barter as payment in your business, would you actually report that in your taxes?? Everyone in the states just treats it as if it never happened. That even happens with a lot of cash payments. Or were you just citing an example?



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 04:28 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

Haha that is a totally different question!
I of course convert all barter exchanges with customers into a £Pound Sterling monetary value which I can declare in my annual tax return. Every business wishing to stay within the law must do the same.

There is no legal requirement for me in the UK to accept or not refuse any particular form of payment though, as per the OP.
I can accept or refuse solely cash/bank transfer/debit card/credit card/cabbages/carrots, or whatever.
How sensible such a business choice would be is another matter, but I can refuse or accept whatever token of payment I like.

...it is why I am surprised the OP speaks of 'allowing' stores to refuse cash. I can do that right now in the UK.
Maybe Denmark is more controlled than I had previously thought.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 04:49 PM
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originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: DYepes

...it is why I am surprised the OP speaks of 'allowing' stores to refuse cash. I can do that right now in the UK.
Maybe Denmark is more controlled than I had previously thought.


That does bring in a good question in regards to legislation In Denmark in regards to how a business can accept payment. I would like to hear more from NoFearsEqualsFreeMan as he seems in a better position to know how the law functions as he lives there.

Based on the US treasury law, it clearly presumes no one would be forced to accept cash as long as the debit or credit card is denominated in dollars. Any input NoFearsEqualsFreeMan on what the law states in Denmark as it sits today? is it law that the business has to accept cash now? It must be right if they are going to make a law stating that they can now refuse it.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 05:23 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

I only know the law in the UK, and right now I can demand or refuse whatever token of payment I wish for any trade or service I provide. Cash, card, or cabbages, it is my choice.
I only have to account for my taxes each year in £Pound Sterling, so if I have a thousand cabbages worth say £500 in my store room then that is what I declare in my tax return.
Some folk may choose to not declare their store of cabbages though, because they know if they don't then HM Revenue and Customs would of course not know anything about the secret green vegetable riches.

It seems we are less restricted in the UK than some other countries.
edit on 7.5.2015 by grainofsand because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 06:45 PM
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a reply to: DYepes

I wish I could say I was surprised. There seems to be a push to make cash a thing of the past. I recall a commercial for some debit card wherein the customer that showed up with cash disrupted the smoothly flowing line of checkouts, and was treated like a pariah. Then there is the business of stating that people who pay with cash are "potential terrorists", from the U.S. government. We all know why; they can't track what we do with cash as easily. Heck, I even saw signs stating the police would be pulling people over on an interstate and checking for guns and cash! Didn't see any, which is a good thing, but what the heck!?!?!?!?!? This is in a state where you can legally carry a gun in your car with no permit, and there is no handgun registration. So, they'd be checking to see who was exercising their rights. And the cash? I carry cash virtually all of the time. The oldest still home pays his share of expenses, each time he gets paid, in cash. Saves me a trip to an ATM, and I am saving up for another car. So, if I carried a gun for security, and a bunch of cash saved up, what would the police do when checking? Plant drugs in the car? Confiscate my money and gun? Arrest us all???

Big Brother is alive and well, and coming for your freedom.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 08:52 PM
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a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

yea those forfeiture laws are a total load of crap, and basically a modern version of mideaval bandits robbing you at a checkpoint, except backed by law.



posted on May, 7 2015 @ 08:59 PM
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originally posted by: DYepes
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

yea those forfeiture laws are a total load of crap, and basically a modern version of mideaval bandits robbing you at a checkpoint, except backed by law.


Exactly!

No explanation as to why they thought that was legal. Trying to talk the hubby into calling the governor's office and asking what the heck that was about. I'd call, but I am NOT diplomatic.




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