The Austrian People's Party (?VP) recently made the suggestion as part of its campaign for aparliamentary election in late September, for which it has a commanding poll lead.
This led to other parties -- though sceptical of the ?VP's proposal -- vaunting theircommitment to protecting cash, with the center-left Social Democrats (SP?) demanding anend to fees levied at cashpoints.
The woman in her 30s, who only gave her name as Victoria, says she prefers to use cashbecause "you don't leave a trace".
這位自稱名叫維多利亞的30多歲女性說,她更喜歡用現金支付,因為“不會留下痕跡”。
Financial law expert Werner Doralt says Austrians put a high value on privacy and are wary ofanything that could be used to keep tabs on them, such as card transactions.
"If for example I go shopping, and it's recorded exactly how much schnapps I've bought, that'san invasion of my privacy," he says.
他說:“比如說,如果我去購物,我買了多少東西都會被精確地記錄下來,這是侵犯我的隱私。”
A recent survey conducted by the ING bank in 13 European countries, Australia and the US, showed Austrians were the most resistant to the idea of giving up cash payments.
Just 10 percent of those surveyed in Austria said they could imagine doing without cash, compared to a European average of 22 percent.
奧地利只有10%的受訪者表示,他們可以想象沒有現金的生活,而歐洲國家的平均水平為22%。
According to European Central Bank data compiled in 2017, cash accounted for 67 percent ofmoney spent at points of sale in Austria, compared to just 27 percent in the Netherlands.
Even in neighboring Germany, another country known for its attachment to cash, the rate isonly 55 percent.
即使在鄰國德國,另一個以喜愛現金支付著稱的國家,現金支付率也只有55%。
Academic and author Erich Kirchler, a specialist in economic psychology, says in Austria andGermany, citizens are aware of the dangers of an overmighty state from their World War IIexperience.
"In that case the efficiency of state institutions becomes dangerous," Kirchler told AFP.
基爾希勒告訴法新社說:“國家機構的高效在這種情況下變成了危險。”
It is a theory that finds a resounding echo in the slogan printed in bold on the menu of oneVienna restaurant and bar, Caffe Latte: "Cash is lived freedom!"
Other parties and experts have also pointed out that Austria would not have the unilateral rightto protect cash through constitutional changes because it uses the euro, which is under thepurview of the European Central Bank.
Even 17 years after the euro came into circulation, some Austrians are still finding notes andcoins in their previous currency, the schilling, much of it left in forgotten hiding places inhomes.
The haul from under the nation's mattresses, which until now could be exchanged at the "Euro-Bus" of the Austrian National Bank (?NB), which toured the country, was almost 19 millionschillings (1.38 million euros) this year.