People's Daily Online, Beijing, March 1 (Reporter Shen Jiaping) At the regular policy briefing held by the National Information Office today, Chen Hongwan, director of the Department of Finance, Finance and Credit Construction of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that the National Development and Reform Commission, the People's Bank of China and other relevant departments have made great efforts to promote the solution of the problem of refusal to accept RMB cash, and the next step will be to further promote the special rectification work of refusing RMB cash.
In 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the People's Bank of China jointly issued a notice, which clearly required strict investigation and punishment of the refusal to accept RMB cash, to ensure that the total amount of cash in key cities and scenic spots is satisfied, the structure is reasonable, and the requirements for foreign currency cash exchange services are met.
At the same time, in solving the problems such as the "digital divide" of mobile phone payment faced by the elderly in their daily consumption, we will increase the rectification and rectification of discriminatory behaviors such as refusal to accept cash and refuse to pay by bank cards. In 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission took the lead in drafting and reporting to the General Office of the People's Republic of China on the implementation of the "Notice on the Implementation Plan for Effectively Solving the Difficulties of the Elderly in Using Intelligent Technology", requiring that no unit or individual refuse to accept cash in various ways, and strengthen the supervision of the payment market.
In addition, in order to promote the implementation of these policies and improve the environment for the use of cash, relying on the consultation mechanism for refusal to accept cash jointly established by 12 ministries and commissions such as the People's Bank of China and the National Development and Reform Commission, unblock the channels for complaints and reports, and punish the refusal to accept cash in accordance with the law. As of the end of 2023, a total of 111 legal entities have been publicized administrative punishment information, and the number of penalties and publicity has been declining year by year, promoting the formation of a better consensus and atmosphere that "refusing to accept RMB cash is an illegal act".
Chen Hongwan introduced that in order to intensify the work, since October 2023, the People's Bank of China, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, has carried out a special rectification work on the refusal to accept cash, guiding business entities to keep the channels of cash payment services unimpeded, focusing on the needs of the elderly, foreign visitors to China and other groups. During the special rectification period, the relevant departments carried out a comprehensive survey of the cash receipt and payment conditions and the willingness to receive cash of the business entity, and guided the business entity to sign the "Letter of Commitment not to refuse to accept cash" and posted a sign supporting cash payment. Guide financial institutions to issue "coin purses" to business entities, and give risk warnings to business entities with insufficient change reserves.
Chen Hongwan said that in the next step, the National Development and Reform Commission will implement the first-class decision-making and deployment, cooperate with the People's Bank of China, adhere to the problem-oriented, practical work, further promote the special rectification work of refusing to accept RMB cash, and guide business entities to consolidate the consensus of "refusing to accept RMB cash is illegal"; Continue to carry out unannounced spot checks on scenes involving people's livelihood and foreign-related scenes, verify clues on refusal to accept cash, continue to implement penalties and publicize the refusal to accept RMB cash with a high degree of public concern and a large scope of influence, and include punishment information in the credit records of relevant entities, giving full play to the role of warnings, and implementing the people's demands for cash payment.
*: People's Daily Online.