Plans to require shops to continue to accept cash have run into trouble after an amendment by two parties set to be part of the next government – D66 and the VVD – Trouw reported on Wednesday.

The Socialist Party and the fundamentalist Protestant SGP had drawn up draft legislation that would require all companies to accept cash and which was backed by parliament in 2024. But D66 and the VVD are now opposing the measure, the paper said.

Four in five payments in the Netherlands are currently electronic.

The SP and SGP argue that between one and two million people are strongly attached to cash because it “gives them a feeling of freedom and a grip on their spending”. They also point out that the Dutch central bank supports retaining a cash option.

However, VVD parliamentarian Wendy van Eijk and Nathalie van Berkel of D66, who proposed the amendment this week, say the impact on companies would be considerable, adding €1.5 billion to their annual costs.

In addition, they say 95% of shops and other outlets still accept cash, and those that do not have good reason not to.

Caretaker finance minister Eelco Heinen is currently working on adding exceptions to the SP–SGP proposal that would allow companies to opt out of accepting cash on safety grounds.

Shops with fewer than four members of staff would be exempt, as would those open at night.

Dutch households have been advised to stash away €70 per adult and €30 per child in cash to cover themselves financially during a crisis.

This amount, according to family spending institute Nibud, is sufficient to pay for goods and services for three days if digital payment systems are disrupted by a natural disaster, cyber attack or power outage.