Austrian Minister Calls For a Constitutional Right To Pay In Cash

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Austrian Minister Calls For a Constitutional Right To Pay In Cash

Posted by timothy on Friday February 12, 2016 @03:45AM from the not-everyone-sees-privacy-as-a-right dept.

New submitter sittingnut writes: Bloomberg reports that Austrian Deputy Economy Minister Harald Mahrer has called for a constitutional right to use cash to protect their privacy. According to the report, Mahrer said, "We don't want someone to be able to track digitally what we buy, eat and drink, what books we read and what movies we watch. We will fight everywhere against rules," including caps on cash purchases. EU finance ministers at a meeting in Brussels last Friday urged the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to "explore the need for appropriate restrictions on cash payments exceeding certain thresholds," " to crack down on "illicit cash movements."

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Smart! by DogDude · 2016-02-12 03:49 · Score: 5, Insightful

Smart for them! Much smarter than today's geeks who want every penny tracked!

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1. Re:Smart! by sycodon · 2016-02-12 03:59 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private"
  We'll see if that saves us.
  
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  When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
2. Re:Smart! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-12 04:09 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It won't. Most purchases are not debts.
  All purchases are debts for the buyer until paid in full.
3. Re:Smart! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-12 05:47 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  And when they refused to take cash, you were no longer required to pay and could have, in fact, taken them to court over it.
  IF you offer to pay any debt to any entity with cash, our current laws require them to take that cash or absolve you of the debt.
  Not saying your anecdotal evidence is not true - just that there were larger ramifications to what occurred than perhaps you were aware.
4. Re:Smart! by reboot246 · 2016-02-12 11:16 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Even the government is wise enough to not allow its employees to handle cash. Can you imagine the number of thieves in any government bureaucracy?
But that would destroy the economy! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-12 03:52 · Score: 4, Funny

If people can store cash in their mattress, you can't jack up negative interest rates and force consumers to spend like they should! The flow of money to the 1% would decrease slightly! Won't anyone think of the 1%?
1. Re:But that would destroy the economy! by ausekilis · 2016-02-12 04:49 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That's why people are encouraged to diversify. That means storing cash in your mattress and burying some in a coffee can in the back yard.
New black markets by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-12 03:53 · Score: 3, Interesting

I can't help but to see where a cashless society will only raise new black markets and increase crime. Nearly every form of prohibition brings additional criminal elements with it and a cashless society is a prohibitive society. Hopefully this gets real traction among other nations as well.
1. Re:New black markets by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-12 04:02 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  “Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now, that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with.”
  -- Someone not popular here. Consider the message, not the messenger.
2. Re:New black markets by sims+2 · 2016-02-12 04:05 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Well if it all goes to pot we can still use tide.
  http://nymag.com/news/features...
  
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3. Re:New black markets by Opportunist · 2016-02-12 04:16 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  But I bet she didn't expect this to happen under a government favoring corporations and trying to reduce the liberty of everyone else.
  
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  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
That's a great idea by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · 2016-02-12 04:00 · Score: 4, Insightful

Now if the European Commission only had any respect for its member nations' constitutions...
I'll by that for a dollar! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2016-02-12 04:18 · Score: 5, Insightful

Good. And, more specifically, the right to pay for things anonymously, much like you have the right to speak anonymously.
It isn't about thwarting justice. It is about forbidding government the tools of tyranny, including the ability to filch through your stuff and activities at will until they find something they can tag you, uppity person, with.

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Truth be told... by MitchDev · 2016-02-12 04:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

The idea that a law is needed for this just makes me wish the asteroid would hit the "reset life" button on earth already,,,
1. Re:Truth be told... by GbrDead · 2016-02-12 05:54 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  There are laws against this. For example, in my country (an EU member), you are not allowed to pay in cash for anything above 2564.1 euros. Otherwise you are presumed to be laundering money. The limit was higher until recently. And it will only go down, despite inflation...
2. Re:Truth be told... by amiga3D · 2016-02-12 06:22 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I once paid 12,000 dollars in cash for a car. The guy wanted 15,500 but I kept counting 100's until he folded at 12G's. Nowadays they'd take it away and make me prove I got it legally. I wish George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and all those guys could see what these fuckers are doing nowadays. They'd spit on 'em before they slid hard cold steel through their guts.
Re:paypal is not a bank and they can take your fun by __aaclcg7560 · 2016-02-12 04:53 · Score: 4, Interesting

paypal is not a bank
That's not what I've been told when I worked at eBay/PayPal (years before the recent corporate split). Although not a bank per se, PayPal does fall under banking regulations. What that meant for the IT department was that we had to keep eBay assets and PayPal assets separate from each other. (Assets being anything with an asset tag such as laptops and monitors; cables, keyboards and mice were interchangeable.) Also, if you worked for PayPal directly and not eBay/PayPal, your credit record has to be much cleaner than average, no bankruptcies in the last ten years, and any adverse downward changes in credit score can result in immediate termination when your credit report gets periodically reviewed.
Re:Why only privacy? by Flavianoep · 2016-02-12 05:01 · Score: 4, Funny

What? Paying cash in a terraced place?

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