Ireland’s National Car Testing Service (NCT) has been forced to reverse its plans to go cashless following a nationwide backlash that has once again put cash on the government’s agenda.
Applus+, which operates the NCT, announced in late August that its test centres would become cashless ‘for the safety and convenience of customers.’ Many of these customers, it transpired, were unimpressed by the prospect of cash being refused for an essential service. The flippant tone of the announcement on X (formerly Twitter)—which began ‘we’re saying goodbye to cash!’—sparked immediate anger, with people arguing that ‘cash is freedom’.
