Supermarkets continue to accept cards at a rate of 50 percent and 50 percent cash, and sometimes 100 percent or 25 percent card and 75 percent cash depending on the situation of each supermarket. This follows a decision by the Minister of Finance in the caretaker government, Yusuf Khalil, to allow half of the customs duties to be paid in cash and the other half via bank checks or transfers, according to experts and insiders, in order to curb the Lebanese currency and prevent inflation.
The President of the Supermarket Owners Association, Dr. Nabil Fahd, confirmed to "Al-Markazia" that Minister Khalil will not implement the decision to pay half of the customs duties in cash while awaiting further study and listening to the perspectives of economic bodies on this matter. Fahd states that "Khalil's opinion came after a call he received to discuss this issue due to its negative implications. The Supermarket Association issued a warning yesterday stating that they will stop accepting bank cards if the decision is applied after seeing the expected negative results of this decision. Although these are indirect results, they ultimately affect the citizen."
