《TAIPEI TIMES》Government urged to control prices

By Lo Chi / Staff reporter

The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday called on the government to ensure that mask pricing is transparent and there are adequate supplies of alcohol and hand sanitizers.

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A foundation volunteer who visited one store found that it had raised the price of one mask from NT$100 to NT$200, while alcohol and sanitizers have been difficult to find, foundation secretary-general Wu Jung-ta （吳榮達） said.

The Lunar New Year holiday might have affected supply, so the foundation would monitor the situation in the coming days to see if there is an improvement, he said.

Fifty-count boxes of masks typically sell for NT$200 to NT$300 per box, or an average of about NT$4 to NT$5 per mask, he said.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs set the price at NT$8 per mask, before cutting it to NT$6 on Saturday, which caused concern, he said.

The government should make the prices of masks — including logistical, labor and other costs — as well as manufacturers’ profit public to prevent prices from rising again, Wu said.

The South China Morning Post and other media outlets have reported long lines at convenience stores and pharmacies in Hong Kong for masks amid a shortage of supplies, with limits on the number of masks that an individual can purchase at one time.

In Macau, an individual can purchase up to 10 masks every 10 days by presenting their identification at a pharmacy, at a price of 8 Macau patacas （US$1）, with no concerns about supply, Wu said.

Consumer Protection Committee official Wang Te-ming （王德明） said the committee has received several reports of “abnormal” prices nationwide through consumers, store visits by officials, media reports and other channels.

It has asked the Fair Trade Commission to investigate and asked e-commerce platforms to remove products with “abnormal” prices, he said.

While it has received reports that consumers have been unable to find rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers to buy, it has not heard about any price increases for those items, he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES