Government bans surcharges of credit card transactions

Well it's about time.

I remember seeing an infomercial on consumer rights many years ago and it emphasized that surcharges on credit card transactions were illegal. There was even a skit with the actress arguing with a saleslady because the sale price was 5% higher with a credit card purchase than with an outright cash purchase. The actress referred to the provisions of the law and propounded on the illegality of such an act. In the next scene, the same actress tried to return a defective product which the saleslady refused to honor because it did not jive with the store's no-return-no-exchange policy. (Okay, I admit to being addicted to infomercials and the home tv hopping network!)

That's why I was dumbfounded when the next time I went to the mall, the surcharge on credit card purchases was still there. Apparently, as the saleslady explained "Ganon talaga yon" (That's just the way it is). Which I found funny because if they intended to penalize a buyer for using a credit card (that is after all what a surcharge ultimately is) then why don't they just stop accepting credit card payments altogether?

Of course, I should be the last person to complain because I don't have a credit card. But that's beside the point, it's the PRINCIPLE behind it.