Government to start accepting credit card payments

CREDIT card facilities will be installed for the first time in government offices before the end of the year, ending the common practice of carrying large bags of cash around town.

According to a banking source, the government has already signed a general agreement with JCC Payment Systems Ltd to install credit card facilities in government offices.

The agreement sets the rate of commission for all government departments that choose to use the credit system. JCC and the heads of each department must now negotiate whether to install the card payment system or not, said the source. A separate agreement will be signed with every department based on the general agreement already signed. However, no public office is obliged by the agreement to install credit card facilities, it is up to each office.

Citizens have long complained of having to troop across town with thousands of pounds in their pocket because offices such as the Inland Revenue, Customs or Land Registry would only accept cash.

The agreement is currently in the implementation stage, but credit card facilities will be available in key government offices before the end of the year, said the source.

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