‘Cash is printed freedom’ – 530,000 Austrians demanded the right to cash payments be added to the constitution, but they are being betrayed, says the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). A world without cash would lead to financially incapacitated citizens, argues the powerful political contender for state leadership.

After 530,000 Austrians signed a referendum petition calling for the right to cash payments to be enshrined in Austria’s constitution in 2022, Austria’s political class is refusing to move forward with adding this legal right, warns the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).

‘Nowhere else in the world is an everyday life without cash so clearly rejected as in Austria. We see this justified desire of the population, which is reflected in the popular petition ‘For unrestricted cash payment,’ as a concrete work order to the parliament.’ said Finance and Budget Spokesman of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) Hubert Fuchs during a parliamentary debate.

Half a million signed the referendum petition which shows a broad level of resistance against the push for digital currencies promoted by central banks across the world and institutions like the World Economic Forum (WEF). It was the 13th most popular referendum in the country’s history.

Fuchs sees the great support for the petition as a clear mandate to the National Council, which is one of the two houses in Austria’s parliament. ‘The initiators and supporters of this petition do not just want words of thanks. Rather, it is an actual request to the National Council to ensure that the federal government finally gets its act together. But let me report from the finance committee: Our motion for the preservation of cash was once again rejected by the ÖVP. So, it’s all just lip service and fine words, while these are not followed by action,’ said Fuchs.

The FPÖ, known for its stance against Russia sanctions and its calls to stop immigration by building ‘Fortress Austria,’ is currently the most popular party in the country, with polls putting it at approximately 27 per cent. The party, although conservative, takes a sceptical view of unbridled free market capitalism, and argues that the government must protect against real estate speculators and provide generous cash benefits to encourage Austrians to have more children.

The party has also made the right to cash payments an intrinsic part of its platform, arguing that they ensure freedom from government control and spying and also protect Austrians from predatory banks and credit card institutions.

‘We, the Freedom Party — in contrast to all other parties — have already been campaigning for years for the preservation of cash as well as for the anchoring of the right to cash payments in the constitution.

‘According to the current legal situation, there is no real obligation to accept cash. The relevant legal provisions need to be tightened up here.’

Fuchs also said in his speech that implementing a financial system where only digital currencies exist would lead to an increase in scams, money laundering and covert financing of terrorism, as according to him, digital and cryptocurrencies are a hotbed for criminality.

This freedom of choice must continue to exist in the future. Cash is data protection in action. Cash is printed freedom. And another aspect should not remain unmentioned: Without cash, how are children supposed to learn how to handle money and thus how to do business? Money at their fingertips is very important for children. But it is not only important for children, but also for adults in terms of their own spending control,’ explained the FPÖ finance and budget spokesman.

Experts argue that using physical cash instead of electronic payments helps people better control and track their spending. However, the FPÖ also points to a new Marketmind study, which shows that 48 percent of women and 40 percent of men in Austria cannot get a credit card due to their low income and are therefore dependent on cash. 

‘That’s no wonder when you consider that in our country around 17 percent of the population must be classified as at risk of poverty. That is just one of the many reasons why we have to insist on (the right to) receiving cash with all our might,’ said the FPÖ consumer protection spokesman, Peter Worm.

‘But we will continue to comply with the will of the citizens. Cash means survival, freedom and self-determination. The transparent citizen has already become a reality to some extent, and only receiving cash in a constitutionally protected form can prevent even worse things from happening,’ emphasized Wurm.

In Austria, 50 percent of all transactions are still conducted in cash, far above the European average of approximately 30 percent. Germans are also against digital transactions, with just 9 percent saying they would use mobile payments.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, which is a part of the Ministry of Justice, warned in one report that a totally cashless society would be extremely vulnerable if the country were attacked or exposed to a natural disaster

For those concerned about privacy, such as those in Germany and Austria, digital payments give law enforcement and government authorities a direct ‘first grab’ window and access to all transactions.

Even more worrying for some, digital money could one day be linked to political and social behaviour in Western countries in a social credit system, as seen in China. Already, during the ‘Freedom Convoy’ trucker protests against Covid-19 policies in Canada, the left-wing government of Justin Trudeau took the unprecedented step of freezing the bank accounts of protesters.

Although civil liberty groups decried the authoritarian action as a flagrant abuse of power, many critics worry that the action could now serve as a template to deal with protesters and dissent in the future. If dissidents and those critical of the government cannot keep their money outside the digital space, then they will have nowhere to hide their finances should governments, like the one in Canada, take action against them.

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