LA City Council backs ban on cashless retail businesses

By lauraharris // 2023-10-09

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Los Angeles, California has moved a step closer to banning cashless retail businesses after its city council proposed that cash should remain a viable option for in-person transactions. This motion initially presented in August by Councilwoman Heather Hutt and supported by three other council members seeks to protect people in LA from complying with going cashless. Hutt emphasized that "millions of Americans do not hold bank accounts or otherwise fall outside the non-cash financial system." "Some do this by choice because they are concerned about privacy and do not want their every financial transaction recorded by banks and credit card companies. Others may not be able to participate in the formal banking system, or may be excluded from that system against their will," Hutt said. "Physical cash [still] remains the most accessible anonymous medium of exchange in this country." Her colleagues endorsed the motion in a unanimous 13-0 vote on Oct. 3. Moreover, the councilwoman pointed out that transitioning to a cashless system could exclude the majority who may not meet credit card age requirements yet, and those who have no plans on adopting digital payment methods. Similarly, Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) noted that 55 million Americans still lack access to digital payments for essential goods and services. As a response to the issue, Payne along with other members of Congress introduced the Payment Choice Act in June 2023 to prohibit businesses from refusing to accept cash for in-person retail purchases. (Related: British activist threatened with arrest for using CASH in cashless Aldi grocery.)

Cashless payment another form of surveillance and attack on privacy

Advocates argue that cashless payments could reduce crime, save on currency production costs and minimize the spread of germs. But in reality, the push to eliminate cash as a form of payment is just another step to increase government and Big Tech surveillance. Writing for the Epoch Times, Stormwall Advisors founder Michael Wilkerson, pointed out that cashless payment benefits financial institutions and government agencies more than the public. "Financial institutions greatly benefit from the billions of dollars made every year on credit card and payment transaction fees. Government agencies certainly also benefit, as the tax authorities, intelligence agencies, and other three-letter entities are able to fully surveil digital transactions, not just for tax compliance but, more ominously, for political compliance," he wrote in a February 2023 op-ed. According to Wilkerson, the push for cashless payment gained traction during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Eliminating the need for hard currency, such as coins and paper bills, reportedly reduced the risk of passing contagious germs at the time. People fear that the implementation of cashless payment is driven by a desire to control financial assets and may pave the way for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to the wealth manager. "The greatest danger here is that total surveillance of all financial transactions provides governments with enormous persuasive power over their citizens. Social credit scores are the next step. Thinking of spending on opposition political parties or perhaps buying a firearm? Only if you’re allowed to, and then at great risk to yourself," Wilkerson wrote.

Visit Resist.news for more stories about pushbacks against a cashless society.

Watch this video about British activist Piers Corbyn's refusal to comply with Aldi's cashless policy by paying for strawberries using hard currency. This video is from the MEGA (Make Earth Great Again) channel on Brighteon.com.

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Cashless payment another form of surveillance and attack on privacy

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