“This does not mean that everyone who pays in cash is doing so to break the law, but those who do break the law tend to pay in cash, or are more difficult to catch if they pay in cash,” the president of the Competition Council said on Monday. Bohdan Chiritsa, responding to a question about the discussion regarding the limitation of cash payments and the statement of some banks regarding the increase of commissions for cash transactions.

On Monday, he was asked what he thought about the debate over cash limits and the fact that some banks have increased their cash fees.

• “I saw the public debate. Cash is expensive. Cash has two disadvantages.
• First, it promotes evasion, I’m not saying it causes evasion, but it promotes evasion. Cash transactions are harder to trace and this encourages illegal behavior. This is not to say that everyone who pays in cash is doing so to break the law, but those who do break the law tend to pay in cash, or are harder to catch if they pay in cash.
• Two – it is also expensive for society. You must have machines, ATMs to take and withdraw money, guarantee safety, count them. All these transactions are expensive, so cash transactions are shrinking all over the world. There are EU countries where they hardly pay in cash, because it is much cheaper for society, for banks and consumers.
• Those costs go to the customers and then to reduce the costs you reduce the cash payments. It seems inevitable to me that cash payments will also decrease in Romania.” said Bohdan Chiritsa on Monday.

According to him, these costs justify the use of certain commissions by banks, but the body did not analyze this aspect.

• “Now these expenses justify some fees. Whether they are excessive or not, I cannot tell you at this time, but I understand that other institutions are considering the subject.’ – said Chiritsoy.

Colacu is meeting on Monday with representatives of the Romanian Association of Banks

Prime Minister Marcel Călăcu is holding a working meeting with representatives of the Executive Board of the Association of Romanian Banks on Monday after he said last week that banks’ greed cannot be fueled by the cash debate and that artificial increases in bank fees cannot be allowed.

According to the Prime Minister’s agenda, on Monday at 17:00 he planned a working meeting with representatives of the members of the Executive Board of the Association of Romanian Banks.

• “The debate about cash does not fuel the greed of banks! An artificial increase in bank commissions is unacceptable!” the prime minister wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Marcel Cholaku announced in a post that he will convene a meeting in the government with the participation of specialists from the Ministry of Finance and the BNR, as well as representatives of small entrepreneurs, banks and civil society, in order to make a decision on cash money.

• “I will never give up the fight against evasion. And I will not refuse to protect Romanians from the greed of those who want to make money at any price,” said the head of the executive power.

Several banks have announced fee increases as banks introduce a 2% annual gross income tax, while on the other hand the government has lowered the limits up to which companies and individuals can carry out cash transactions, forcing more banking operations, which is an additional source of income for banks.