Beat Cost Of Living During The Festive Season

By Sarath Wijesinghe –December 27, 2015

Sarath Wijesinghe

Festive season has emerged and the citizen is testing the buying power in purchasing the consumer items for festive season. Consumer is any actual or potential user of any goods or services made available for a consideration by any trader or manufacturer. (s75 of the consumer affairs Authority Act) This shows that every citizen is a consumer and need protection from the state to protect the consumer against unfair trade, hazardous to life and property of consumers, adequate access to gods, and seek redress against unfair trade practices (s 7 of the Act no of 2003).

Is Consumer the King – and Powerful

In theory yes. But in practice it may not be so, especially in Sri Lanka where the consumer is not organized as in other parts of the world. Consumer day falls on 15th March and the world Consumer Federation has started the agitation throughout the world claiming the legitimate share for the consumer as Kennedy’s statement in 1983 that – the consumer includes us all – “the largest economic group affecting and affected by almost all public and private economic decision yet they are the only important group whose views are often not heard”. In other parts of the world consumer is restricted from becoming unfair by the government as well as strong lobbing of the powerful organizations in maintaining the quality, standards, price and consumer rights of return goods, and maintain standards by the trade, manufacturer and the trader. Sri Lanka is full of adulterated and poisonous food and other consumer goods, unhealthy food chains and goods adulterated and downgraded with no restrictive conditions. Unhealthy food chains are thriving and there is no proper control of the quality and price of the consumer items expected to be monitored by the main regulate Consumer Affairs Authority.

Powers of the Consumer Affairs Authority as the Main Regulator

It is established in place of Fair Trading Consumer Act no 1 of 1987 and price control act 1 of 1987 for promotion of effective competition and protection of the consumer with a blend of UK, Australian and West modelled concepts creating a main regulator to regulate trade under s 9 of the act, which has power to undertake studies, issue directions, restrict selling above market price, determining standards, inquire complaints, enter into agreements, deal with offences such as refusal to sell, hoarding goods, investigations publication, prevent misleading , deceptive conduct and many more powers and expectations. Due to the abolition of the price control under the price control act, the new concept of price making was introduces where every trade is expected to exhibit the price mark and maintain standards of the items. (S29) It is left to the consumer to judge the effectiveness of the enforcement mechanism in maintaining the price and the standards of the consumer items. Is the CAA competent to beat the cost of living or it is teeth less organization is a matter the citizen will be deciding based on the performances of the organization.                     Read More