Examination of Witness

Part of Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 2:24 pm ar 15 Mehefin 2023.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Anna Firth Anna Firth Ceidwadwyr, Southend West 2:24, 15 Mehefin 2023

I am sure we all agree that we want to put consumers at the heart of the regime. I want to put to you the very specific and powerful example that we have heard this afternoon, which I do not think you have really answered, from a British start-up in Cornwall selling electronic books. If it does it on an app, it will have to pay up to 30% in payment processing charges, and the payments can be delayed by as much as two months. If it does it with a web-based approach, where there is competition for payment processing—it uses Stripe, for example—it will pay 3% to 4% in processing charges and receive those payments within seven days. How can it possibly be in the best interests of my residents and businesses in Southend-on-Sea not to address that huge distortion in the market, with a huge monopoly and another system where there is more free competitionQ ?