Global Interchange Fee Perceptions (WayTooHigh.com)

The Sydney Morning Herald's headline (Dec 11) "Credit card firms slam RBA review" suggests that the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to review interchange fees is "unbalanced." Right they are. If one on hand, MasterCard Europe® can announce plans to lower rates on debit cards by 60%, why then is the giant card association fighting another nation's eagerness to have equal balance and demand these fees be cost-based?

Background:

1. Sixty-percent Rate Cut in 2008 by MasterCard Europe (Commentary, WayTooHigh.com, via WSJ)
2. "MasterCard Europe reportedly said that it would lower debit card transaction fees by 60 percent in 2008, as the Single Europe Payments Area regulations kick in. European regulators are still investigating if the payments company had violated antitrust laws by setting interchange fees for cross border debit card transactions." [The Asian Banker]

[Source: WayTooHigh.com via Sydney Morning Herald]