weather forecast Wednesday: A cold day with sunny spells. Remaining around 0º during the day and frost at night
 
Home| News| Dictionary| Features| International| Expats| RSS| Newsletter
  adodlongad.gif
««« previousnext »»»

Banks told to accept cannabis cafe custom

Friday 06 February 2009

Banks must accept cafes which sell cannabis and marijuana as clients, says finance minister Wouter Bos.

The minister fears that if these businesses, known as coffee shops, are refused bank accounts they could turn to the criminal circuit for financial services, reports Friday’s Volkskrant.

At present all the banks are turning down these cafes as new customers and terminating existing accounts even though they are legitimate businesses, the paper says. Coffee shops are licenced by local authorities and allowed to sell small amounts of marijuana.

Cartel authority

Although Bos cannot force banks to accept coffee shops as customers, he has asked the anti-cartel authority NMa to investigate the situation because it seems that the banks are acting collectively, says the Volkskrant.

ABN Amro bank, which is now nationalised, was the first to cut its relationship with coffee shops some 12 years ago, says the paper. It was followed by the Rabobank. And now that the Postbank is being integrated into ING, it too is refusing to accept them as clients.

© DutchNews.nl


Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe



Print-version

Readers' comments

The real integration on global economy is the better way to fight organized crime.
The cannabis issue is (and always been) a political question. For decades, information are beeing manipulated by political and economic underground goals.
Congratulations for this step beyond.
Hope it will be an example for the rest of the world.

By s.lopes | February 6, 2009 8:49 AM


Let me get this right.... The christian government doesn't force the banks to accept legal bossiness as customers and then the christian government goes off on the criminality of the coffee shops....what in the hell are the coffee shops supposed to do.

By alanposting | February 6, 2009 9:58 AM


Good old Wouter Bos. What a Christian! At the beginning of the week he bucks global political trends by endorsing 'reward for failure' at banks. Now he tells them that they they must accept coffee shops owners as clients. He'd make a great (infallible) pope.

By Michael Dawkes | February 6, 2009 11:45 AM


Place your comments:

*
* (will not be published)

Postings which contain racist, sexist or homophobic language or which insult other correspondents will not be published. Publication is at the discretion of the editor and DutchNews.nl reserves the right to edit or shorten comments.

election2010new.jpg
 
Banner_expataward2010_skyscraper_vote.gif
 
 
 
boatskyscraper.png
 
Advertising| Business services| Mobile| Tell a Friend| Donate| Contact| About us
 
Click hereClick hereClick here
Hosted by Qweb.nl
Click here