What is societies obsession with carrying cash?

Some of the arguments for cash are hilarious.

Damage the card

Blackouts

Nuclear war

"Ownership" of the money

Fees

Safety

Do all the folks who are so pro cash demand their employers pay them in cash? Or do you withdraw your salary in cash as soon as you get paid?

Use cash all you want, nobody is stopping you.

Both serve their purpose. But the arguments presented against card/contactless are borderline conspiracy theory nonsense in here.

There is the thing, some do want cash to be done away with, I think the arguments against electronic are no more looney than the arguments against cash, like wallets being stolen or lost, cash users are tax dodgers etc.

You think electronic payments will eradicate tax evasion or criminality, or even make it more difficult? Don’t be so naive.

Electronic won't eradicate tax evasion but if there's a trail there I'd imagine people would be less likely to engage in it. Your PPS number is linked to your Revolut account for example, its not a big leap for Revenue to potentially get their hands on that information.

Buy some recent logic here a shop with a broken card machine must be on the fiddle.

A quick google shows that some drug dealers are now using cash apps, buyers pay, drugs are delivered. Like cash payments, those that want to evade tax will take their chances on their accounts being scrutinised by Revenue, you are underestimating the ingenuity/stupidity of those that do not want to pay tax or who are involved in criminality, there is always a way. Customs/Revenue know there is tax evasion/criminal enterprises, doesn’t mean they can catch it all. Though it was announced earlier this year that Irish based customers of Revolut would have their accounts transferred to Ireland, my account is still based in Lithuania, they gave up earlier this year on their quest for a banking license here in Ireland, at the end of each year the Revolut accounts are sent to Irish Revenue, how many are checked do you know?

Fully agree with you that customers often expect a lower cash price. I've paid cash to tradespeople, it's not my problem if they aren't tax compliant - they are responsible for maintaining their own compliance with Revenue.

A local bike shop, that I now won't bother going to, have a cars machine that has been broken now for at least 3 years. Clearly a tax dodge, or else the worst luck with card machines that seem to work perfectly well for most other traders.

Again, you are failing to understand that there will always be workarounds. There is already an obvious paper trail even if cash is used, a plumber charging €20k will obviously need some materials. Plumbers who take €20k in cash aren’t criminal masterminds, they are playing the odds, those same odds will apply even if it is electronic payments.

Just think about the volume of electronic payments Revenue will have to scrutinise if every payment was electronic. That plumber would be playing the odds that their number doesn’t come up for audit.

As is the assertion that people who look for cash payments are tax evaders, and all the loony reasons for stopping cash use are nonsense.

Where does that leave us? Freedom of choice to use cash if we want.

you can report them if you want but if the machine isnt working, it isnt working, simple as. If it isnt working by the way you will have to pay cash or go to an ATM to give cash, you dont get a free trip. machines will break at times, I use a card reader myself for my business and sometimes it doesnt work or the internet isnt working in certain areas etc.

If acceptance of card is a condition of carriage and your card machine isn't working, your taxi shouldn't be on the road.

Or they just take a €200 fine if a judge is a complete twit and doesn’t understand that the taxi has a functioning card reader, but no signal in certain areas. If the judge has a mobile phone, he/she will understand the concept of areas with no mobile coverage, we would hope.