Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A stark warning has been sounded about the risk of creating a "two-tier society" as cash usage dwindles in UK businesses. The Treasury committee was informed that vulnerable groups, including the elderly, individuals with learning disabilities, and victims of domestic abuse, could face societal exclusion if Britain transitions to a "cashless" economy. Have your say! How do you treat cash? Do you use it all the time, keep it on hand for emergencies, or have you sworn off cash altogether? Comment below, and join in on the conversation. According to a report by the Treasury Committee, the increasing number of businesses and other establishments refusing cash payments could lead the nation towards inadvertently becoming a "cashless society" - a term referring to an environment where all transactions and banking are conducted digitally. MPs suggested that there might be a need in the future to legally require businesses to accept cash to prevent marginalising vulnerable groups, as reported by the Mirror. Currently, businesses have the liberty to refuse cash without any legal obligation to consider the impact on potential customers. How do you treat cash? Do you use it all the time or have you sworn off cash altogether? View fullscreen Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, warned: "The Government is in the dark on how widely cash is being accepted and that is completely unsustainable. We are at risk of a two-tier society where the most vulnerable bear the brunt and this needs to be a wakeup call." "Our Committee has sought to give a voice to those groups which are at severe risk of not being heard by government policymakers. A sizeable minority depend on being able to use cash and they must not be forgotten by Whitehall. "As a society, we must avoid sleepwalking into a situation where cash is no longer widely accepted. This is the beginning, not the end, of our scrutiny of this issue. The Government needs to take this seriously." The report also highlighted the critical role of cash in contingencies, citing recent bank outages as an instance spotlighting the need to maintain access to physical money. With the landscape of transactions changing, fewer people now rely on cash due to the surge in digital banking and the convenience of contactless payments. Statistics from UK Finance reveal that while 51 per cent of all transactions were made with cash in 2013, the figures plummeted to only 12 per cent by 2023. Have your say! How do you treat cash? Do you use it all the time, keep it on hand for emergencies, or have you sworn off cash altogether? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.