CIO David Lewis cited third-party transaction fees, often as high as 3 percent, as a main culprit for why just 5 percent of a total of 307 transactions are online in Massachusetts. But it s not the enabling that s expensive, it s the credit cards. Credit card payments drive up the cost of business. A Massachusetts survey found that 43 states accept some form of credit card payments. And that, Lewis, says, was with four states not responding to the survey.
Some governments allow a third party to charge a convenience fee for the transactions.
He estimates it could cut his state s costs by 87 percent. The FCW.COM privacy policy , our link disclaimer and information about linking to us and online permissions .