Price control: in addition to picketers, the Government adds AFIP inspectors

02/14/2021 14:01

• Clarín.com

• Economy

Updated 02/14/2021 2:01 PM

The government is betting that price controls - in tune with a quiet dollar and frozen rates - could lower inflation from 4% to which it reached in January.

In recent days he intensified the audits and the

announcements of those audits.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Internal Trade created a special body that will be in charge of coordinating controls throughout the country, assisted by provincial governments.

On Friday it reported that 22 establishments had been closed for non-compliance.

On Saturday, as announced, the social movements went out to tour the supermarkets in a voluntary task.

Representatives of the Evita Movement, Barrios de Pie and the Classist and Combative Current (CCC) checked that the prices of the gondolas coincided with those established by Commerce.

And this Sunday, the agency headed by Paula Español reported that

AFIP employees are

also

joining the audits

, as they had done last March.

Friday was the first day that Trade Inspectors and AFIP went out together to monitor prices.

According to the Secretariat, they carried out 53 inspections in the metropolitan area, prepared 14 minutes for infringements of Maximum Prices and a lack of products from the Precious Care program was verified.

Commerce clarified that

the AFIP inspectors only control prices

.

"However, the regulations also foresee that they may carry out inspection and implementation of infractions in the event of non-compliance with the Supply Law (Law 20680); Consumer Defense (Law 24,240); and Commercial Loyalty (Law 22,802), among others", they added.

Employees of the AFIP accompany those of the Ministry of Internal Trade to control the Citizen Prices and Maximum Prices last Friday.

In the inspections, the officials compare that the prices indicated in the box and gondola coincide with the lists consigned for the inspection task.

In the event that a business does not comply with these parameters, they are required to reduce those prices and minutes are drawn up prompting the owners or managers to give explanations of the case and present documentation that accredits them in front of the Ministry of Internal Commerce.

In the event that the infractions involve more than 10 products, the inspectors have the power to carry out a preventive closure of the trade for 24 hours, during which the merchants must correct the gondola values.

After that time the correction in prices is verified and, if so, the closure is lifted.

NE