OTTAWA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Quebec has become the first in the country to require minimum credit card payments as legislators try to tackle rising household debt levels.
Effective Aug. 1, banks in Quebec must set a minimum payment of at least 2% of the balance owed on existing cards, the government said in a release. Under the new regulations, the minimum payment will gradually rise to 5% by 2025.
For new credit card contracts, the minimum payment cannot be less than 5%, the province said in a release.
The regulations also require banks and credit card companies to disclose the credit rate and applicable fees, as well as an estimated timeline for paying off the balance when a customer chooses to pay only the minimum.
The new rules follow legislation passed by Quebec's previous Liberal government in 2017. The legislation was designed to reduce household debt by forcing consumers to pay off more than just the interest balance on their credit card.
Consumer spending accounts for about 60% of Canada's economy. In Canada there are no federal laws regulating minimum credit card payments - although provinces are free to act on their own.
Canada's economy has grown more sensitive to interest rates after household debt-to-income more than doubled since 1990 to 173%, which means that Canadians owe about C$1.70 for every dollar of disposable annual income.
In comparison, the savings rate has fallen to nearly its lowest in 14 years at 1.1%.