What has happened to The Competition Tribunal and its decision on Credit Cards?

VANCOUVER, June 12, 2013 /CNW/ - We have reached the first year anniversary of the commencement of The Competition Tribunal' s hearing of evidence on the case brought by The Competition Bureau against Mastercard and Visa.   Nearly three years have passed since The Canadian Federation of Independent Business and The Retail Council of Canada nipped in the side door of the Competition Bureau and sowed the seeds that led to this hearing.   Although this case is about surcharging Consumers who pay by credit card and the right to choose their method of payment,  Consumers were never engaged in prior consultation on the issue.

So after one year where is The Competition Tribunal and their decision? Consumers' Association President, Bruce Cran asks "Does the total silence mean that a decision could not be reached?  Were their findings lost in translation?"  Canadian Consumers deserve better than prolonged silence in a world where the market place has moved on and likely the evidence provided to this now ancient tribunal is of little relevance.

In this same twelve month period, The Australian Government has moved to curtail Surcharging by merchants.  In an effort to stamp out excessive surcharging on credit card purchases, Assistant Treasurer, David Bradbury, is calling for Australian Consumers to report directly to the Government naming any business adding suspicious charges to credit card invoices.

The Consumers' Association calls on Industry Minster Pardis to intervene and cancel the intervention of The Competition Tribunal on the grounds of irrelevance due to the delay.

SOURCE: Consumers' Association of Canada

Bruce Cran 604 418 8359