反潮流！奧地利人提議把“現金支付權”寫入憲法

奧地利舉國上下正在爲是否要把“現金支付權”寫入憲法而辯論，現金支付權甚至成爲了各黨派在大選中的拉票手段。在無卡支付盛行的今天，奧地利的現金支付率竟高達67%，爲什麼奧地利民衆如此偏愛現金呢？

It may sound like a strange thing to enshrine in a country's constitution: the right to pay cash.

現金支付權居然能在一個國家的憲法中佔有一席之地，這也許聽起來有點奇怪。

enshrine[ɪn'ʃraɪn]: vt. 銘記，珍藏；把…置於神龕內；把…奉爲神聖

But a debate on whether to do just that has entered Austria's election campaign, shining a light on the country's love of cold, hard currency.

但是在奧地利的大選活動中掀起的一場關於是否把現金支付權寫入憲法的辯論，反映出奧地利民衆對冰冷的硬通貨的喜愛。

The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) recently made the suggestion as part of its campaign for a parliamentary election in late September, for which it has a commanding poll lead.

奧地利人民黨最近提出一項關於保護現金支付的議案，將其作爲9月下旬議會選舉的重要競選議題，而該議題在民調中的支持率遙遙領先。

This led to other parties -- though sceptical of the ÖVP's proposal -- vaunting their commitment to protecting cash, with the center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) demanding an end to fees levied at cashpoints.

儘管其他黨派對奧地利人民黨的提議表示懷疑，但也彰顯了自己保護現金的決心。中左翼社會民主黨要求終結自動櫃員機的手續費。

And it is not hard to see why all major parties see protecting cash as a vote-winner.

不難看出，所有主要黨派都將保護現金視爲拉票手段。

"In Austria, attitudes change slowly," an employee of Weinschenke, a burger restaurant in downtown Vienna, told AFP.

維也納市中心的漢堡店Weinschenke的一名員工告訴法新社說：“在奧地利，人們的心態轉變得很慢。”

The woman in her 30s, who only gave her name as Victoria, says she prefers to use cash because "you don't leave a trace".

這位自稱名叫維多利亞的30多歲女性說，她更喜歡用現金支付，因爲“不會留下痕跡”。

Financial law expert Werner Doralt says Austrians put a high value on privacy and are wary of anything that could be used to keep tabs on them, such as card transactions.

金融法律專家維爾納·多拉爾特說，奧地利人很重視隱私，警惕任何可能被用來監視自己的事物，比如銀行卡交易。

keep tabs on: 監視，密切注意

"If for example I go shopping, and it's recorded exactly how much schnapps I've bought, that's an invasion of my privacy," he says.

他說：“比如說，如果我去購物，我買了多少東西都會被精確地記錄下來，這是侵犯我的隱私。”

A recent survey conducted by the ING bank in 13 European countries, Australia and the US, showed Austrians were the most resistant to the idea of giving up cash payments.

荷蘭國際集團近期在13個歐洲國家、澳大利亞和美國開展的調查顯示，奧地利人對於放棄現金支付的牴觸情緒最大。

Just 10 percent of those surveyed in Austria said they could imagine doing without cash, compared to a European average of 22 percent.

奧地利只有10%的受訪者表示，他們可以想象沒有現金的生活，而歐洲國家的平均水平爲22%。

According to European Central Bank data compiled in 2017, cash accounted for 67 percent of money spent at points of sale in Austria, compared to just 27 percent in the Netherlands.

根據歐洲中央銀行2017年彙編的數據，奧地利各銷售點的現金支付率爲67%，相比之下荷蘭的現金支付率只佔27%。

Even in neighboring Germany, another country known for its attachment to cash, the rate is only 55 percent.

即使在鄰國德國，另一個以喜愛現金支付著稱的國家，現金支付率也只有55%。

Academic and author Erich Kirchler, a specialist in economic psychology, says in Austria and Germany, citizens are aware of the dangers of an overmighty state from their World War II experience.

學者、作家、經濟心理學專家埃裏希·基爾希勒說，奧地利和德國的公民在二戰期間經歷過強權國家，因此他們都意識到身處強權之下的危險。

"In that case the efficiency of state institutions becomes dangerous," Kirchler told AFP.

基爾希勒告訴法新社說：“國家機構的高效在這種情況下變成了危險。”

It is a theory that finds a resounding echo in the slogan printed in bold on the menu of one Vienna restaurant and bar, Caffe Latte: "Cash is lived freedom!"

維也納的一家小餐館Caffe Latte的菜單上用粗體字印着一條標語“現金是生活的自由”，印證了這一理論。

"When we have no more cash, we become totally exposed. A totalitarian state would then have unfettered power over us," the menu reads.

菜單上寫道：“當我們不再擁有現金，我們就完全暴露了。極權國家將對我們擁有不受約束的權力。”

Admittedly the cafe accepts cards as its owner Philipp Klos says he has to think about business too.

誠然，這家小餐館也接受銀行卡支付方式，因爲老闆菲利普·克羅斯說，他也得爲生意着想。

"In five years, there will be no more cash. I'm 100 percent sure," he told AFP, saying the ÖVP proposal to amend the constitution is "empty talk".

他告訴法新社說：“五年後，現金將會消失。我百分百確定。”他表示奧地利人民黨修改憲法的提議是“空談”。

Other parties and experts have also pointed out that Austria would not have the unilateral right to protect cash through constitutional changes because it uses the euro, which is under the purview of the European Central Bank.

其他黨派和專家也指出，奧地利沒有單方面的權利通過修改憲法來保護現金，因爲奧地利使用的是歐元，而歐元屬於歐洲中央銀行的權力範圍。

purview['pɝvju]: n. 範圍，權限；視界；條款

Even 17 years after the euro came into circulation, some Austrians are still finding notes and coins in their previous currency, the schilling, much of it left in forgotten hiding places in homes.

即使在歐元流通17年後，一些奧地利人仍然可以找到舊貨幣（先令）的鈔票和硬幣，其中的很大一部分都遺忘在家中的某個角落。

The haul from under the nation's mattresses, which until now could be exchanged at the "Euro-Bus" of the Austrian National Bank (ÖNB), which toured the country, was almost 19 million schillings (1.38 million euros) this year.

奧地利的舊貨幣至今依然可以在奧地利國家銀行的“歐元巴士”上兌換，這輛巡遊全國的巴士在今年收集了近1900萬先令（約合人民幣1086萬元）。

Unlike several other parts of the eurozone, Austrians still have an unlimited period to exchange their schillings at the ÖNB.

和歐元區的其他國家不同，奧地利人仍然可以在奧地利國家銀行無限期地兌換先令。

Austrian banks, too, are behind some of their counterparts elsewhere when it comes to the ease with which clients can access debit or credit cards.

奧地利的銀行在客戶申辦借記卡或信用卡的便捷程度上也落後於一些歐盟國家。

Following a recent EU directive, Austrian banks are phasing out "ATM cards" and renaming them debit cards.

根據歐盟最近的一項指示，奧地利的銀行將逐步淘汰提款卡，並將其更名爲借記卡。

phase out: 使逐步淘汰；逐漸停止

And some banks are currently planning to equip the new debit cards with the ability to make payments online, as is common elsewhere.

目前奧地利的一些銀行計劃爲新的借記卡配備網上支付功能，而這些功能在其他國家已經很常見了。