An online petition submitted to the Chambre des Deputés in October has called for Luxembourg to get rid of its 1 and 2 cent coins.
Petition n°577 was submitted by Serge Caldeira on 30 October 2015 and was opened to signatures on 27 November 2015. In his petition, Mr. Caldeira requests that 1 and 2 cent coins be removed from Luxembourg's currency, stating that their limited value had resulted in them becoming "cumbersome".
This concept has been instigated in several countries already, including Belgium, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands, and has become a source of contention in several others, including the United States, which has experienced pressure to remove its lowest-denomination coin the penny after its North American neighbour Canada did so in 2013.
In the case of the US, calls for the 1 cent to be eliminated due to its production at a loss and its limited utility have been met by lobbyists calling for its preservation claiming that withdrawing the penny from circulation would result in consumers being hit by a 'rounding tax', with legislation for the cent elimination being prevented from passing to date.
The Luxembourg petition has so far received 169 online signatures and will be closed on 8 January 2016.
Photo by Sarah Graham
