Congress approves bill that seeks to eliminate commissions on bank transfers

The Plenary Session of Congress has approved the replacement text of bills 3428 and 3739, which proposes to modify Law 31143, which protects consumers of financial services from usury. This legislative change seeks to eliminate commissions for bank transfers and credit card payments. In this way, with 60 votes in favor, 28 against and 6 abstentions, a second vote is expected pending.

Along these lines, the law specifies that in credit card contracts the payment commission should not be applied when it is made through a financial institution or a third party other than the card issuing company. However, an exception is established for payments made through rural savings and credit banks, municipal savings and credit banks, municipal popular credit banks, or savings and credit cooperatives, where the collection of said commission could proceed. .

Wilson Soto Palacios, president of the Commission for Consumer Defense and Regulatory Bodies of Public Services, argued that the main objective of the recent legislative modifications is to eliminate the costs that currently fall on consumers when transferring their own money through financial institutions or when paying your credit cards.

“The commission considers that it is necessary to complement the current regulations, to guarantee their due compliance by the Superintendency of Banking and Insurance and for the benefit and protection of consumers,” said the also parliamentarian from Acción Popular.

Upon his departure, legislator Víctor Flores expressed the position of his Popular Force party, whose members, a total of 13 congressmen, voted unanimously against. “The banks, in one way or another, are going to defend themselves. They are not going to charge the bank transfer, but they are going to charge other issues. In this way, since they are a private company, we cannot legislate within the internal functioning of the companies. Because in fact, they don’t charge you for transfers, but they are going to charge you for membership,” stated Congressman Víctor Flores of Fuerza Popular,

For its part, the Constitutional Court had already declared unfounded the unconstitutionality claims filed by the Executive and the Ica Bar Association against Law 31143, which aims to protect consumers of financial services against usurious practices.