JUBA-The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA)’s Standing Specialized Committee on Trade and Industry on Thursday urged the government to consider introducing price caps on essential goods to address the rising cost of living.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Thursday, Chairperson of Trader and Industry, Eng. Mayen Deng Alier, called for the introduction of price controls on some food items.
“There is a need for the Ministry of Trade and Industry to estimate the overall cost of essential products and their projected retail prices, and this should be published in newspapers weekly,” Deng said.
Deng said price control will help to alleviate the financial burden on the community and ensure access to essential commodities.
“We should know what the cost of buying, importing, and the product margin is, maybe on a kg of sugar. So, when a retailer sells this, then we should know how much he or she should sell,” he said.
Deng believed fixing prices of essential goods and services would enable consumers to afford them.
“So, when we go and tell him or her, then we should have done our calculations based on the tax that is imposed, based on our information on the cost of transportation of some of these things.”
He disclosed that a number of trading agents and businessmen are complaining about taxes being imposed on imported food commodities, which resulted in a hike in prices in the market.
He said the number of levies being illegally charged is not stipulated in the Financial Act 2024-2025, adding that some of these charges are duplicated.
He disclosed that they are going to summon the Minister of Trade and Industry, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Petroleum, the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards, the South Sudan Revenue Authority, and the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce over illegal levies imposed on imported goods.
He said the meeting will be on Tuesday, January 7.
