Channel NewsAsia
Fewer hawkers
raising prices: survey
SINGAPORE: The good news for those who eat out: Hawker food prices
have continued to stabilise, with fewer stall owners opting to
raise charges following the 2 percentage-point hike in the Goods
and Services Tax (GST).
Of 1,271 stalls surveyed between July 21 and Aug 3 by the
Department of Statistics, only 0.9 per cent had upped their prices,
compared to 3.8 per cent in the preceding two weeks.
Those who did were mainly hawkers in the north-east of Singapore,
where 4.4 per cent of the 183 stalls surveyed raised prices.
This was followed by stalls in the eastern (0.9 per cent) and
western (0.5 per cent) sectors.
Interestingly, the central area, which had the most number of
stalls participating in the survey - 452 - saw the smallest
proportion of stalls hiking prices, just 0.2 per cent.
The Committee Against Profiteering (CAP) said it had observed a
general downward trend in the past month and urged stall owners to
continue keeping prices steady.
The Department of Statistics will continue to monitor hawker prices
closely.
Meanwhile, the CAP received 22 complaints about GST profiteering
this month as of Aug 8, in addition to the 104 last month and
another 49 in the first six months of the year - making 175 cases
in total.
Of these, 73 cases have been closed. And 104 involved restaurant
chains or local stalls, while chain marts and pharmacies were among
the other merchants involved.
Consumers who encounter instances of GST profiteering should email
CAP at [email protected], or call 6884 4478/6884 4327. - /ym