HARRISBURG - A Pennsylvania lawmaker announced earlier this week that he is drafting legislation that would ban retailers from imposing credit card surcharges on consumer purchases, WHTM reports.

As of last Sunday, to cover their credit card processing fees, merchants are allowed to add up to a 4% surcharge when shoppers use a credit card.

"This seven-year court battle ended with consumers once again being the low person on the totem pole," state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl said. "While many retailers have said they will not impose the checkout fees, I cannot sit still and watch Pennsylvania consumers be forced to dig deeper into their pocketbooks for no good reason."

Ravenstahl said that his bill would permit retailers to offer cash discounts.

"If consumers are outraged over this fee please know that your local merchants understand," said one reader in comments to the WHTM article. "Over the past few years the banks and credit card companies have increased fees and added new fees. There are several fees associated with each transaction and then more fees just for having the service. It's like getting mad at the person pumping the gas because the price of fuel went up. Banks have tried unsuccessfully to impose fees on consumers and they have mostly failed. They are doing the same thing to the merchants who are now being put in the middle."