Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe says the government is planning to register all retail shops across the country under the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) as part of efforts to improve price regulation and consumer protection.
Speaking in Parliament today (10), the Deputy Minister said it is currently difficult to regulate the prices of goods because prices vary significantly from one shop to another.
“It is common to see different prices for the same goods even in two nearby shops. At present, we can only take action in relation to goods that are subject to controlled prices,” he said.
Responding to a question raised by National People’s Power MP Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, the Deputy Minister said a proposal to register all shops under the Consumer Affairs Authority has been received and discussions are currently underway to implement the initiative.
He further noted that authorities have observed a pattern where the prices of goods increase immediately when fuel prices rise, but often remain unchanged when fuel prices are reduced.
The Deputy Minister said the proposed registration system is expected to support the introduction of a stable mechanism to better monitor pricing practices and address such market irregularities.
