The Listin Diario reported on Saturday that it is illegal for any commercial establishment to charge extra for accepting the use of a credit card. “Plastic” is part of the modern scene and universally accepted as a form of payment. Because of this, if any business operator tries to secure an additional fee for its acceptance, they are to be denied and reported to the appropriate credit card company, said the Superintendent of Banks and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The credit card companies already compensate the commercial establishments for these charges, which are included in their pricing and render any such surcharge illegal. According to sources close to the industry, over 80 retailers have had their credit card privileges revoked. Today’s El Caribe reports that many gasoline stations are reluctantly accepting credit card transactions today, in spite of a call last week for a nationwide boycott of their use. Most stations in Santiago, Santo Domingo and other provinces are accepting all forms of payment. Last Friday, 50 stations affiliated with the ANADEGAS association decided to discontinue the use of credit transactions because of cost considerations. Company-owned stations belonging to Esso, Texaco, Shell or Isla did not follow suit. In the Dominican Republic there are 669 gasoline stations, of which 486 belong to ANADEGAS. The major fuel companies handle 94 of these stations while 89 independently-owned. Of the 486 member stations of ANADEGAS, around 200 have credit card processors installed. Over 100 stations continue to accept plastic money.