Detroit businesses could be fined if they do not accept cash under new ordinance detroit

By Terell Bailey |  CBS Detroit

The Detroit City Council voted unanimously to ban cashless businesses, which was introduced by Councilwoman Angela Whitfield-Calloway.

Whitfield-Calloway says she’s advocating for over 100,000 Detroiters that don’t use banks.

“For them to be locked out of being able to engage in the economy was very concerning when I found out we had sprinkles throughout the city, businesses who have decided to not carry cash, and I found that troublesome,” she said.

Detroit will join other major cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco which have banned cashless businesses. The ordinance applies to any retail establishment or food store. According to Whitfield-Calloway, the issue is not widespread yet, which is what the council wants to prevent.

“It is the consumer who drives the market and who drives the economy. It’s not the business. It’s those who support or do not the business so if you keep denying people choices you are going to be out of business,” she said.

If a business chooses not to accept cash, there is an alternative.

“If they don’t want to accept cash then they have to have a way for a person to convert that cash into a debit card which means they may have to have some form of a kiosk system,” Whitfield-Calloway said.

According to the ordinance, conversion devices can’t charge a fee. Devices also must allow customers to redeem any unused balance for cash.

Link to the original article: https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/detroit-businesses-could-be-fined-if-refusing-to-accept-cash/