HM Treasury commit to ‘summer savings’ and to protect consumers from unfair price increases: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has announced a range of measures including targeted cuts to agri-food tariffs from some food products (biscuits, chocolate, dried fruit and nuts), reduction of VAT for children in hospitality and family tickets for visitor attractions and free bus travel for children in August, cancellation of planned fuel duty rises all aimed at lessening the financial pressures on families.
As part of the package the Chancellor has committed to tackling unfair price increases ‘price gouging’ with additional enforcement powers for the Competition and Markets Authority and a setting up a special unit of the ‘Regulators Council’ to share intelligence. The Chancellor stated that the Government stands ready to act, including with highly targeted enforcement powers to give them the ability to direct firms to stop exploitative pricing practices and where necessary, impose penalties if needed.
Advertising watchdog rulings on previous price comparisons:
The Advertising Standards Authority has published four detailed rulings concerning major non-food retailers in respect of price reduction claims from usual prices, three of the rulings associated with ‘black Friday’ price advertising. A number of principles can be gleaned from the rulings:
- Following the CTSI pricing guidelines appears to satisfy the ASA code requirements.
- Failure to provide evidence to establish that the ‘usual price’ has applied and been charged for a significant period immediately before the discount is claimed is required.
- Charging of an intermediate price rules out making an unqualified reduction claim from a claimed ‘usual’ selling price.
- Claiming that the usual price was an average price over the period before the unqualified discount is claimed is not satisfactory.
- Even if acting as an online marketplace for other retailers the online marketplace must hold evidence to substantiate the ‘usual prices’ from which reductions are claimed.
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Results of consultation on fit note reform published: The Department for Work and Pensions has published an analysis of the responses received to its recent consultation on potential reform of the ‘Fit note’ system for logging and compensating for absences from work. Responses differed between employers, employees and medical professionals. DWP have committed to further work before coming up with firm proposals for change. View >
