Credit Card Fees Cost The Government, Too
Credit card transaction fees cost everyone. Transaction fees charged by credit card issuers cost businesses, and probably result in, in some manner, to prices inflation felt by consumers who use credit cards. The direct cost isn’t the only concern, though; Canadian taxpayers are experiencing other indirect expenses as the government is required to pay fees.
The Senate Standing Committee on National Finances estimates that Visa and MasterCard fees paid by the federal government amount to right around $13 million a year. While it may not seem like much when compared to billions, $13 million can still accomplish a lot.
If you are a private business you can get support from the CFIB. Public education campaigns can encourage shoppers to use less expensive forms of payment. Credit card issuers charge businesses transaction fees as a percentage of the credit card purchase, usually 3%. As a result, for every $100 of a purchase, $3 ends up being paid as a fee. With debit cards, on the other hand, the fee is a flat $0.12 per transaction. That’s a substantial disparity in expenses. With a little help from consumers choosing different payment methods, businesses can be protected to some degree from high fees.
The Government of Canada, though, doesn’t get that choice — unless federal business is switched to debit card use. Deciding to go from credit cards to debit cards might not work. The nature of government business means that credit cards can be much more practical than debit.
Australia offers an interesting solution: Credit card fees are limited to 0.33%. The Liberal Senate Forum thinks that the Canadian government could have saved $10 million with a similar limit. When you start thinking about the sorts of things that money is spent on, and the different ways $10 million could help ordinary Canadians, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that so much money is being used to provide more profits for credit card companies that already have plenty of money.
Thoughts from Other Countries
Politicians in Canada are looking for ways to save money, and looking to other countries. Australia seems to be a a preferred model for cost saving. Canada is considering getting rid of the penny as Australia has done, and the idea of capping credit card fees seems attractive. Ditching the penny could save billions on minting and circulating one cent pieces. If Canada does end the one cent piece, it makes sense to it wouldn’t be surprising if Canada adopted some other cost-saving measures seen in other countries.
It’s true that credit card issuers need to make money; that’s what keeps them going. We rely on business, jobs depend on it. On the other hand, consumers already pay the price for credit card transaction fees, in the form of the fact that business owners need to charge higher prices when they use credit cards while shopping. Should consumers really have to pay more fees through their taxes as well? Given the popularity of the campign promise one party made to cap credit card fees in the last election, the population might be ready to say “We’ve had enough!”
