ArmInfo. A non-cash payment method cannot lead to an increase in the cost of goods or services. Business entities do not have the right to discriminate against persons paying by bank transfer. chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Gastyan stated this on June 23 at a government meeting, answering the question of tPrime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, whether Armenia is ready to switch to non-cash transactions, exceeding 300 thousand drams from July 1.
According to the head of the Central Bank, as a result of an agreement with the government, at this stage, payment through payment terminals, if transferred immediately to the company's account, is also considered a non-cash transaction. For example, from July 1, payment for all types of medical services provided in medical institutions can be made on the spot in cash through a payment terminal, and the money will be transferred to the bank account of a medical institution. <At this stage, the state also recognizes such operations as non-cash transactions. In the future, if we see that opportunities are expanding, people are already accustomed to non-cash, card payments, we will reconsider this issue," Galstyan said.
Touching upon POS-terminals, and problems with increasing the functionality of POS-terminals at cash registers, the head of the Central Bank noted that "by and large, the issue has been resolved." <At this stage, banks have assumed the costs of obtaining licenses and activating cash registers. We have reached an agreement with banks to minimize the burden on the business of paying for the maintenance of such devices. For example, if in rural areas the volume of trade is insignificant, an economic entity will pay the bank only 1,000 drams per month for servicing the terminal, in Yerevan, of course, it will be higher>, Galstyan said.
The problem is that there are approximately 50,000 cash registers on which you need to install the appropriate pos-module. The process will be carried out as quickly as possible, he assured. Taxpayers will have to apply to commercial banks, purchase a new device with a built-in pos, or install a pos module on their cash registers.
As the head of the Regulator pointed out, in all settlements of the country there should be at least one store, one payment terminal where you can make non-cash purchases. This is necessary so that pensioners and people receiving benefits, when paying with a bank card, can use the 10% cashback, which also comes into force from July 1. By today's decision, the government also provided this group of the population with the opportunity to pay utility bills not only through ATMs, but also through the electronic (mobile banking) application of the bank.
