(Sydney Morning Herald - May 29, 2009) -- The travel industry has been warned there will be no grace period for changes to the Trade Practices Act to outlaw component pricing, by which a supplier advertises a price that doesn't include additional taxes and charges.
The changes were enacted last week but had been in the pipeline for three years, since they were first proposed by the previous federal government.
Two industries travel and automobiles were singled out as the biggest users of component pricing in Australia, even though three of the four domestic airlines have voluntarily observed a pricing-transparency code for most of the past three years.
Now, the agency that will enforce the new legislative changes, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says no mercy will be shown to lawbreakers.
"It's not as if it has crept up on people without notice, without warning," says ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel. read more »
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