A WARNING notice and a compound of not more than B$1,000 were issued to two businesses found to have exceeded the set maximum price for cooking oil and formulated powdered milk under Chapter 142 of the Price Control Act and its Regulations, when the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE) at the Prime Minister’s Office, through the Department of Competition and Consumer Affairs, recently made surprise visits to several business premises along Jalan Muara and Pekan Muara.
The visits were made to assess the owners’ compliance with the Price Control (Cheap Sale Price) Regulations and the Price Control (Display of Prices) Order.
The surprise visits are part of an ongoing effort to cover all four districts with the main objective of ensuring that price controlled goods under Chapter 142 of the Price Control Act, including cooking oil and formulated powdered milk, are not sold above the set maximum prices. Rice, however, is not sold above the subsided price.
Monitoring was also carried out on the prices of selected goods listed under the amendment of the customs import tax and excise duties of the Royal Customs and Excise Department of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), such as sweetened beverages (fizzy drinks), monosodium glutamate (MSG) and car tyres.
The JPKE delegation was led by Pengiran Hajah Siti Nirmala binti Pengiran Haji Mohammad, the Acting Permanent Secretary (Economy and Finance) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Also present was Haji Asrul Adrain bin Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Ahmad, the Acting Deputy Director-General of JPKE.
Businesses can be imposed a fine of B$5,000 and two years of imprisonment for the first offence, or a fine of B$20,000 and five years of imprisonment for a repeated offence.
In addition, business owners were briefed on the following items listed under the Act as price controlled items: rice (Thai Hom Mali, Thai rice and glutinous rice); sugar (white, referred, granulated, cane sugar, fine grain); plain flour; formulated powdered milk; milk (condensed and evaporated); cigarettes and tobacco; motor gasoline Premium 97; motor gasoline Super 92; motor gasoline Regular 85; diesel; dual purpose kerosene; bottled liquefied petroleum gas; cooking oil (canola, corn, palm, vegetables, sunflower and soya bean); reinforcement bar; sand; stone (aggregate ¾); cement; bitumen; asphalt; ready-mix concrete; bricks (clay); and passenger motor vehicles.
The maximum prices for cooking oil, formulated powdered milk, passenger motor vehicle, and bricks (clay) are set by JPKE, while the maximum prices for essential goods such as rice and sugar are set by the Division of Supply and Store, Treasury Department, at the MoF.
The listed items will be reviewed from time to time. Apart from those listed in the Act, the prices of goods are determined by traders themselves through economic forces of supply and demand.
In its press statement, JPKE reminded members of the public on the importance of being a smart consumer, which involves comparing prices at different shops before making any purchase, to get the best value for money.
The public is also encouraged to access the Pengguna Bijak/Smart Consumer mobile application which provides a platform to compare prices of selected daily necessities, price controlled goods and information on consumer-related laws.
The application also serves as a channel to share feedback and lodge consumer complaints directly to JPKE.
For more details, the public are advised to contact JPKE directly through the Pengguna Bijak/Smart Consumer mobile application. They can also make inquiries at 2230223 during office hours; via email to aduanpengguna@jpke.gov.bn, or consumercomplaint@jpke.gov.bn; via Facebook at www.facebook.com/AduanPenggunaJPKE; or write directly to the Department of Competition and Consumer Affairs, Room 3.06, Level 3, West Wing, Department of Economic Planning and Development, Block 2A, Ong Sum Ping Road, BA1131.
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