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OTTAWA — Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he is “carefully reviewing” Tuesday’s ruling by the Competition Tribunal that allowed Visa and MasterCard to continue charging merchants higher fees for so-called “premium” cards.

The long-awaited ruling also upheld the restriction on retailers from imposing surcharges on customers who use those cards.

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“I will be carefully reviewing the Competition Tribunal’s decision and also monitoring any potential appeal,” Mr. Flaherty said, adding that because of “the importance of this issue to all involved,” he has called for a special government committee to look into the issue of payment systems.

The committee will include representatives from the credit card industry, small business, retailers and consumers “to discuss this matter and next steps,” the minister said in a statement.

The Tribunal dismissed the application by the Competition Bureau to strike down rules affecting how credit card companies charge retailers, saying the bureau failed to make its case and noted “the proper solution to the concerns raised by the [Competition] Commissioner is a regulatory framework.”