Enhanced bill-paying services are great, provided the system doesn't shift costs to consumers.
For example, utility bills paid electronically in Virginia to the city of Richmond can be accessed and paid in a few different ways, but both charge customers for paying their bills while saving the city postage and paper costs–even if you use a credit card or a bank account. This is not fair,
especially when the charge can amounts to 3% to 5% of the amount of the average bill.
Business needs to know that the Tea Party has so much support, in part, because cutbacks in costs are different from shifting costs to hide them under different "shells." What business and consumers need to do is to go back to bill paying without additional tax or charges.
Despite all these efforts to "save" energy, utility bills are getting higher. There was always a group that needed assistance just to cover the basic amount of their utility bills. This system would save the feds U.S. Mail-delivery costs, save the utilities mail and paper costs, save business mail and paper costs, and even save the banks and credit card issuers mail and paper costs.
Let's not have all those savings for those groups cost bill-paying citizens. It would be a shame.
Kitt Irwin
Law Offices of Catherine E. S. Irwin
