asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in order to expose shopkeepers who might be overcharging, he will consider requiring that they display clearly to the public all prices plus percentage of turnover tax charged.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Prices Display.
32.
While I would like to see all shopkeepers displaying to the public the prices of all goods on sale, I think that a statutory requirement to do this would not be enforceable.
Could I ask the Ceann Comhairle why the similar question put down by me last week was refused by the Chair?
If the Deputy will compare both questions he will find that his question was a totally different one. This question relates to prices.
My question also related to prices. I asked for a guide——
The Deputy's question referred solely to turnover tax. It was a totally different question.
What does this question refer to if not turnover tax?
All prices.
All prices. It is prices plus turnover tax. What I was looking for——
If the Deputy will compare the two questions he will find that the Chair is, as usual, correct.
Of course, we will have to agree with the Chair anyway. Could I ask the Minister now if he would issue a guide list which would show, say, that goods costing 1s would have a plus of so much, goods costing 1s 6d would have a plus of so much, and so on, so that customers could be shown this list and be told that it is the official list? The shopkeepers are in serious trouble about this because customers feel they are overcharging sometimes when they are not overcharging.
This question of giving guidance is something which could be looked into and I will certainly look into it.
Is the Minister not aware that it is becoming a common practice in a number of shops to display prices and after the goods have been wrapped and are about to be paid for the turnover tax is added on to the price put on the list? Could the Minister do anything about that, to have an all-in price indicated?
There is nothing wrong with having a price list displayed with the understanding that turnover tax is to be added.
Understood by whom?
By the customer, if it is indicated on the price list.
It is not indicated.
This question is asking if I would make a regulation that the price of every commodity in a shop be displayed.
Yes, if that were done at least the customer would know whether he was paying the right price or not.
(Interruptions.)
As I said in my reply, a statutory requirement to do this would not be enforceable because of the difficulty seen already in regard to enforcement of the requirements that have already been sought.
Is the Minister saying that regulations and orders which are in existence are not being complied with?
I am talking about the requirement of having, in a general retail store, a large list displayed of the prices of all articles on sale in the store and I am suggesting seriously that an order to that effect would be rather unenforceable because the storekeeper would not have room to list all the commodities.
Is the Minister aware that in a majority of supermarkets the price is displayed but the difficulty is that this is the price less the turnover tax? All that would be required would be to add the turnover tax in plus form in order to make it clear to the customer what his commitment would be before he purchased.
According to what the Deputy says the customer knows what his total commitment will be. If the supermarket displays the prices of all goods and it is understood that there is 2½ per cent chargeable on top of that, well then it is——
The turnover tax is 5 per cent.
The prices are displayed in such a way that it is conveyed that this is the total charge and after a person has selected goods and has arrived at the check-out there is an additional charge for turnover tax.
The customer is in ignorance only once.
Not necessarily.
Well, at least he would be aware of the position after that.