Some of the traders do not respect the new state action "Limited prices", which was confirmed by the Directorate for Inspection Affairs, which has so far issued fines in 12 cases. During the inspection, the inspectors found irregularities in 12 stores regarding the decision on limiting margins, after which they issued 10 misdemeanor orders in 20 stores with fines of 55.000 euros, while citation measures were imposed on two stores due to minor violations.
Indication measures are not financial, but indicate some irregularity.
The campaign "Limited prices" started on September 6, and will last until the last day of January 2025.
According to the Administration, in the first ten days of the action, the inspectors visited 70 sales facilities, among them large and small stores, those that sell general merchandise, chemicals and personal hygiene products, and 30 inspections were carried out based on reports from citizens, of which most of them related to the same merchant or facility.
The Administration stated that the inspectors performed a total of 77 inspections in this period.
With the Decision on temporary measures to limit the prices of products of special importance for the life and health of people in wholesale and retail stores, the government limited the margins for 66 food and hygiene products. Thus, margins for the food sector in wholesale and retail stores are limited to 10 percent, while for hygiene products they are limited to a maximum of 10 percent in wholesale and 15 percent in retail.
"Until now, a total of 12 inspections have identified irregularities, for which 20 misdemeanor orders have been issued. In ten inspections, fines were imposed, while in two cases of minor violations of the Decision, the inspectors imposed citation measures. A total of 55.000 euros in fines were imposed, while the individual fine for the committed offense is 5.500 euros. Irregularities that were determined related to non-compliance with the margin amount for certain products. Controls were carried out in the sales facilities of large retail chains, but also at merchants operating locally, in the area of one or more surrounding municipalities. Most of the irregularities were found in the first days. The inspectors did not come across markets that do not respect the Decision at all", the Administration stated.
"Vijesti" also asked the Ministry of Economic Development about the results of the campaign, but the answers did not arrive by the time the issue was closed.
The action is controlled by 15 inspectors
Compliance with the action, as they said from the Administration, is controlled by about 15 inspectors who go to the markets every day of the week. They clarified that according to the Government's decision, traders are not obliged to mark products with a limited margin, so inspectors cannot even sanction them.
The penalty for non-compliance with the action is, as they state, for companies from 5.000 to 10.000 euros, while individual fines for responsibility range from 500 to 1.000 euros. They also emphasized that according to the Law on Misdemeanors, inspectors can only give a minimum fine, while higher amounts are provided only for court proceedings, that is, if someone requests a court decision on misdemeanor liability.
"It happened that we received reports from citizens that margins were not reduced for certain products, but inspections revealed that the trader had limited the price, without visible labeling for customers. Also, in a number of cases, it was determined that the margins for some products were reduced and that the price of that product at the cash register was lower than the price displayed on the shelf, which was sanctioned by the inspectors in accordance with the Law on Consumer Protection", the Administration stated.
The new campaign "Limited prices" is different from the earlier campaign of the same name, because now the list of products includes fruits, vegetables, a few more types of meat and food for personal hygiene. This state measure originally started at the end of March and applied to 38 products and lasted until May 31. It was then extended until the end of June, but only for 16 domestically produced products.
The new action covers 66 products, and the Government expects that this will lower the prices of more than 1.000 items, given that the measure applies to items from all manufacturers in a certain group. These measures, like the previous ones, do not apply to buildings with an area of less than 600 square meters at the state level.
The government did not consult the Chamber of Commerce, a part of trade chains and employers' associations, about the new limit on margins, from which they previously told "Vijesta" that there was no economic analysis, social dialogue, that this step is disrupting the business and competitive environment, creating negative consequences for companies. that traders are not responsible for high price levels...
Minister of Economic Development Nick Djelosaj at the conference where the measures were presented, said that the report of the Market Inspection showed that traders' margins are high, and that after the restrictions they expect a reduction in prices. He pointed out that these measures, like the previous ones, do not apply to buildings with an area of less than 600 square meters at the state level.
According to Monstat, prices in August were also 0,4 percent higher than in July. Compared to the same month last year, the price level in the eighth month of 2024 was 2,2 percent higher. The biggest influence on the monthly price growth was vegetables, accommodation; telephone services, vehicle maintenance and repair, meat, restaurants, cafes...
On July 22, the government reinstated the earlier measure limiting the margins for five basic foodstuffs, to five percent in wholesale trade and five percent in retail trade. That list includes wheat flour (type 400 and 500), granulated sugar, edible sunflower oil and table salt per kilogram, regardless of weight.
How margins can be negotiated
With its decision, the government does not limit final retail prices, but margins, which are a variable category and are a matter of agreement between retailers and their suppliers. By definition, the margin is the difference between the purchase and sale price, less dependent costs - transport, storage...
The interlocutor of "Vijesti" from this sector said that fraud is possible in the negotiation of purchase and sale prices, which, according to him, the market inspection cannot detect.
"The supplier and the retailer agree to put a higher purchase price in the contracts than it was before this action, with a certain deadline for payment, while the retailer keeps the same final price for the customer. As the purchase price increased and the final price remained the same, he formally reduced the margin and inspections can confirm this. However, after the expiration of a certain period, they conclude a new contract where the supplier subsequently reduces the purchase price with new book approvals and thus enables the trader to pay him at the old prices. In this way, the trader formally fulfilled the condition during the margin limitation actions, even though the price for the end customer remained the same, and he earns extra when the supplier subsequently lowers the price with book approvals. In this way, the suppliers are not at a loss, and they are doing a service to the merchants who sell them goods and on whom they depend", said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
Bonus video:
