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| Sunday, 18 January 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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CAA all out to ensure right price is paid The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is making an all-out effort to ensure that the consumer pays the right price for all essential and non-essential products they purchase due to the revision of VAT and duty rates on imports, that came into effect from January 1. The director-general of CAA, Kithsiri Gunawardena said that a team of 40 inspectors has been deployed to visit the marketplace everyday and find out the prices of consumer products on sale. Where increases are found to be out of proportion with VAT and duty increases, action will be taken to rectify them. As a first step, CAA had written to all manufacturers and distributors to be informed of their wholesale prices. "We want to ensure that the correct increases or decreases due to VAT and duty rates are charged," Gunawardena emphasised. Shell Gas had written to say that they wanted to increase the price of a cylinder of gas by Rs. 65, but were allowed to increase the price of a cylinder by Rs. 25, which is the price increase consequent to the new VAT rate, Gunawardena said. The manufacturers of Samudra cement, also wanted to increase prices, but only appropriate increases due to VAT and duty rate, were being allowed. Cargills were found to be selling wheat flour at Rs. 30 per kilogram in their retail outlets. It was pointed out that Prima flour was sold at Rs. 25 per kilogram. Cargills had agreed to sell at Rs. 25 per kilogram and, in doing so, discontinued their supplier, Gunawardena said. |
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