New Venezuela Fuel Payment System Gets Off to Slow Start

Venezuela’s new digital fuel payment system got off to a slow start on Monday, as most drivers paid with cash and only a handful of gas stations were equipped with the system that President Nicolas Maduro says will limit fuel smuggling. The new system entails Venezuelans applying for and using a state-backed digital identification document to pay for fuel, with the government providing gas stations with wireless devices that will read the card. Leftist Maduro has said the system will limit the cross-border trading of gas, which is so heavily subsidized that drivers often do not even bother paying for it. Last week, he said the new payment system would roll out on Monday. More…