EU member states that are also part of the eurozone may in certain cases decide themselves whether government services can be paid in cash. This follows on Tuesday from a ruling by the European Court of Justice, which leaves a final ruling on a case involving cash payments to the local court.
In principle, every euro area country should allow cash payments anytime and anywhere. But when German citizens wanted to pay a certain government service in cash, they were told that this was not possible.
The case was brought before the European Court, which now says that in some cases a local judge must still rule on it. This matter concerned the payment of a license fee.
“When the government has a good reason not to allow cash, it is up to the German court whether or not the government is right”, a spokesman for the Court clarified. For example, it could be impracticable to have everyone pay in cash. “When it comes to too many people, it seems impossible.”
The local court must now determine whether this is really the case and also determine whether it is very difficult for the consumers concerned to pay in a different way. “Which might make it possible to make an exception to the exception.”
In any case, the euro remains the legal tender in the countries of the euro zone, but concrete payment methods can therefore also be regulated nationally. This case was emphatically about the payment of a government service and not, for example, the payment of a shop.
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