Price Supervisor
Price Inspector ( Italian Sorvegliante dei prezzi , French Surveillant des prix , informally Monsieur Prix ) is in Switzerland , the term of the incumbent for the control of prices based on the Price Control Act (PüG). The office of price supervisor is administratively assigned to the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research .
tasks
The tasks of the price monitor are divided into three areas:
Price observation
The price supervisor monitors the prices that are not set in free competition but by dominant companies, cartels or the state. These include B. the fees for radio and television, public transport tariffs, the most important postal taxes, the water, sewage and waste prices of the municipalities, the chimney sweep, gas and telecom prices, the prices of medicines, the hospital and doctor's tariffs.
Prevention of abusive price increases and price maintenance
The price monitor protects the consumer and the economy from too high prices due to a lack of competition . If the deficiency is established, the price monitor strives for an amicable settlement. Depending on the situation, you can choose between a price reduction, a reduced price increase or a time postponement of a price increase. These rules are temporary.
In extreme cases, the price monitor can enforce his ideas by means of a disposition . An appeal against such a ruling can be lodged with the Federal Administrative Court and then with the Federal Supreme Court .
If prices go back to political authorities, the competence of the price supervisor is limited to a right of recommendation.
Orientation of the public
According to the legal requirements, the price monitor has to inform the public about his activities.
history
Price monitoring as economic policy
In 1972 Switzerland suffered from an overheating of the economy . The National Council and Council of States adopted various measures to dampen the situation, including the monitoring of prices, wages and profits through a federal decree of December 20, 1972 .
With regard to wages and profits, the price watcher's authority was to monitor developments, initiate surveys and hold discussions. In the area of prices his possibilities were more extensive, he had the possibility of lowering prices. This competence was only limited in the areas of fiscal taxes and property prices .
As this resolution referred to extra-constitutional urgency , it came into force on the day the resolution was passed. It was limited to the end of 1975.
In 1975, due to persistently high inflation rates, parliament decided to continue price monitoring until the end of 1978 with changed powers. The monitoring of wages and profits was no longer a task of the price watchdog, and the monitoring of prices was also restricted to certain subject areas and branches of the economy.
Price monitoring as protection against abuse
In 1979, shortly after price monitoring had expired due to the federal decree, consumer organizations in German , French and Italian Switzerland submitted the popular initiative to prevent abusive prices . The initiative called for regulations to monitor prices and recommended prices for goods and services. In particular, the consumer advocates had powerful companies and cartels in their sights.
In addition to the initiative, Parliament and the Federal Council submitted a counter-proposal to the population , which provided for price monitoring only in times of high inflation. The vote took place on November 28, 1982 . The counter-proposal was rejected surprisingly clearly with 21.6 percent, but the initiative was accepted with a relatively good 56.1 percent yes-votes from the people and the cantons.
The Price Surveillance Act (PüG, SR 942.20) was passed on December 20, 1985 , and was revised in 1991. Since 1991, all prices of cartels and powerful companies under public and private law have been subject to the price watchdog.
When the Electricity Supply Act came into force on January 1, 2008, the authority to review electricity tariffs and network usage charges in the electricity sector was transferred to the Electricity Commission .
Previous price supervisors
- Leo Schürmann : 1973–1974
- Leon Schlumpf : 1974–1978
- Odilo Guntern : 1986-1993
- Joseph Deiss : 1993-1996
- Werner Marti : 1996-2004
- Rudolf Strahm : 2004-2008
- Stefan Meierhans : since 2008
See also
Web links
- Price monitoring website
- Price Surveillance Act
- Werner Marti: Price monitoring. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ SR 942.20 Price Surveillance Act of December 20, 1985 (PüG). Retrieved April 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Media release of the Electricity Commission of November 28, 2007 ( Memento of the original of March 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
