Business

Vialet-Sponsored Bill Requiring Businesses In VI To Offer Credit Card Payment Option To Be Heard July 29

Soon, going to the La Reine Chicken Shack without cash to buy food will be the norm, and stopping at Beijing House, the Chinese food restaurant in Sion Farm without a credit will not be a mistake, as those outfits -- along with the countless more in the U.S. Virgin Islands that have refused to utilize electronic payment options, will be a thing of the past. That's if a bill being sponsored by Senator Kurt Vialet -- who also sponsored a measure calling for credit card payment option from taxis in the territory -- which is being heard on July 29, is approved by senators and signed into law by Governor Albert Bryan. For decades the territory has lagged behind in regards to other forms of payment aside from cash, and Mr. Vialet is hoping to change that with his bill. Some businesses have adamantly refused to implement electronic payment options, with some contending that the fees associated with the transactions cut into their bottomline. For others, it's a way of avoiding taxe...