The Prices and Consumer Affairs Division is monitoring local supermarkets to ensure consumers benefit from the government’s temporary suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET) on basic food items, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Thursday.
Speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, Merchant confirmed that the measure is already in force. “It is in place,” he said. “Individuals should have already started to see some decrease in the cost of those items. The tariffs have been removed.”
Responding to a question about whether consumer protection officials are adequately equipped to verify compliance, Merchant said, “They are equipped. They were the first to be notified of the reduction as this came through the Ministry of Trade. They are aware and they are monitoring.”
He added that price-tracking data will be reflected in upcoming reports. “We should see some reporting during the next cycle of monthly reports that we get from these divisions as it relates to the lifting of the CET on these items,” he said.
The Cabinet decision to lift import tariffs on key goods was intended to ease the cost of living, and officials have pledged corrective action if retailers fail to pass on the savings.
