Since COVID, the use of cash has continually diminished by approximately 15 per cent per year, at least from my perspective as a vendor. I’m not sure why, but perhaps because initially it was looked at as dirty and infected. Why this trend continues also baffles and scares me.
While many will agree cash is a time-tested and true form of currency for transactions used for centuries, more and more are pulling out their card for what they perceive as convenience.
Before I continue my rant, I will add that I’m not a conspiracy theorist, sovereigntist, anarchist, or communist, and I don’t have a political agenda. I am just addressing the implications of a cashless society, so we can preserve this choice before it’s too late. Every time you pull out your card we are one step closer to the reality of a fully cashless society. This has already happened in Sweden and there are numerous other countries in line, including Canada. Moneris Solutions Corporation, Canada’s leading credit and debit card processor, predicts by 2030 (or most likely sooner) cash purchases will make up only 10 per cent of money spent in Canada. This is a perfect scenario for the powers that be.
The only ones who benefit from a cashless society are corporations (easy accounting, data collection and reducing employee theft), banks and service providers (charging fees), and the government (taxing every last cent, and monitoring your behaviour). If you think any of these agencies have your best interests in mind, you are a fool. Increased profit and control is always the primary goal in a capitalistic society.
What we will inevitably see is ever-increasing transaction rates without controls; taxation on every deposit, even for such benign things as garage sales, or transfers from others for things like shared dinners and gifts; hidden costs and service fees. Other concerns are security breaches from hackers, blackouts from power outages and technical glitches, and possibly the garnishing and forfeiture of your savings for non-compliance.
Of course the disadvantaged will suffer the most when begging, busking and cash tips at the end of your shift are no longer. What about the elderly who don’t even have a phone or computer, or young kids who want to buy candy using change from their piggy bank? I guess youngsters will now need phones and bank cards and pay income tax on their birthday money.
While a credit card may be warranted for large purchases, rewards, and travel, please use cash as much as possible, especially at markets, restaurants, and for small transactions. Don’t support businesses that go cashless, and email them the reason for your boycott. Pull out your paper note and read the fine print: “this note is legal tender,” and remind the management that their policy is unlawful. Unfortunately, Whistler’s largest employer and economic driver went cashless years ago, and there is nothing we can do to reverse that (sorry, I’m not quitting my job or refraining from using the mountain).
Long before this degradation of cash, the sayings were “cash is king,” “use it or lose it,” “never trust the government,” and “the only thing in life that’s certain is death and taxes.”
