It’s the hidden cost for everything from a cup of coffee to a bag of groceries that has shoppers hopping mad. And the now-ubiquitous credit card surcharge is fast becoming an issue in the halls of Canberra, where politicians are weaponising it as evidence that retailers and banks are out to take every last dollar at the expense of their customers.

For Philip Barbaro, who runs Avenue on Chifley in the centre of Sydney’s financial district, it’s just a way to recoup the $80,000 he pays every year to make it possible for his customers to use their credit cards.