ACCC warns customers over excessive price rises due to carbon tax
11 May 2012
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned customers about businesses claiming excessive price rises due to the carbon tax.
According to the ACCC, it was in the process of investigating around 100 misleading or deceptive claims made in respect of the tax.
Included among the companies was a brick supplier who claimed a cost increase last month was due to the tax, which had not been implemented yet. ACCC chairman Rod Sims said he did not want consumers to blindly accept price hikes because of the carbon tax.
He said, if a business say, a year ago put up prices or tried to put up prices by 10 per cent, customers would push back and look for other options. He said what was not needed on 1 July was people being duped into accepting a price increase because they believed wrongly that it was associated with the carbon price.
Just weeks before the carbon tax was due to come into effect, the consumer watchdog has warned of a crackdown on sharp sales reps and sharks who were trying to make a fast buck.
According to the ACCC, it had received complaints about companies telling potential customers to buy now and beat the carbon tax.
