The use of cards and ATMs cost businesses in 2022 – between commissions and ancillary costs – at least 5 billion euros. A proportionately heavier burden especially for smaller businesses – especially trade – which see margins shrink due to commission costs. This is estimated by Confesercenti, in view of the technical table for cutting commissions on payments via POS, convened by the Ministry of Economy for Friday 17 March. The table – explains Confesercenti – is an opportunity to finally put the point to an open question for over ten years – the obligation was envisaged for the first time by the Growth 2.0 Decree in 2012 – characterized by postponements, controversies, contradictory provisions and promises never kept.
Ten years in which electronic money has nonetheless spread enormously: in these ten years Italy has become the European country with the highest number of Pos – 3.9 million – even if the number of transactions is still below average. On the other hand, the average amount of transactions is higher – around 50 euros – a figure that underlines how the problem is above all related to micro-transactions, continues Confesercenti. In 2022, transactions with digital payments reached 400 billion euros, almost 40% of the total spent by Italians. In 2023 it will be 50%. A result obtained with large costs borne by the merchants: Confesercenti surveys, in fact, return a weight of commissions up to and over 1.4% of the transacted for minor activities. Where the incidence of electronic money payments on the total is growing rapidly: in some cases – such as in clothing – it even reaches 80% of sales. Commission costs are a problem above all for tobacconists, fuel managers, newsagents and all other businesses characterized by small margins on sales. Now, after all this time, exhibitors are finally expecting a solution to the problem. The declared objective of the roundtable, in fact, is the reduction of the costs of plastic money for the approximately 2.5 million small businesses with less than 400,000 euros in annual turnover. The hope is that there will not be a simple restyling of the current provisions – the tax credit envisaged is now insufficient – but that we will arrive at a real reform that favors the diffusion of electronic transactions through a more equitable distribution of costs. To achieve this result, however, the government must play an active role, not just a guarantor, warns Confesercenti. «A greater diffusion of electronic money would favor the modernization of the country’s economic system, an objective that Confesercenti shares. However, obtaining it with a top-down obligation creates a distortion to the detriment of the operators: for this reason, measures of this type are usually accompanied by concessions, not only by sanctions. At the table we will propose setting up an observatory to finally clarify the current costs of electronic money. But also to make transactions under 30 euros free for businesses with an annual turnover of less than 400 thousand euros, help them acquire contactless devices and to prepare a new, more extensive tax credit, lasting three years, on all transactions » concludes the association.