Prices of goods in New Ireland rising: Chamber

THE prices of store goods in New Ireland have increased by 30 to 35 per cent as businesses try to sustain their operations due to the impact of the Covid-19, says New Ireland chamber of commerce and industry.
President Nolis Thomas told The National that the Covid-19 impacted businesses in the province.
Thomas said businesses were trying their best to adapt to the new normal and follow new health and safety protocols.
The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) also told The National last month that businesses should not take advantage of the current Covid-19 situation to increase prices of goods and services.
Commissioner and chief executive officer Paulus Ain said the ICCC understood that business houses needed to recover lost revenue, however, they should not be charging consumers over the cost incurred.
He was responding to queries from The National on consumer complaints that some shops had increased the prices of some of goods over the past couple of weeks and whether the ICCC had received any directives from the National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning under the new isolation strategy. “The ICCC has not received any order from the Controller (Manning), and cannot do anything at this stage,” Ain said.
“However, businesses houses should not be price gouging under the current pandemic situation.
“Although business need to recover the cost of doing business, they should not be charging consumers over and above the cost incurred.”