Another good news for the die-hard BN supporters to rejoice for the coming new year – RM0.50 increase per bag and RM2.50 per block cost by the edible ice suppliers and you can bet your bottom ringgit that the restaurant and food stalls will put in their own increase on top of increase for sugar price for your iced drink.
Reason for the increase?
The notice mentions increase in other costs like electricity tariff, increase of diesel price, implementation of the “minimum wage ruling”, increase of salary, increase of raw materials and interestingly, improvement of food safety – now that is very scary!
I saw the above notice when I read the papers this morning. This however was not a big surprise though – it is only natural for businesses to pass on the escalating operating cost to the end consumers.
So do expect your iced Milo, iced limau, iced coffee, iced tea, iced water to cost you an arm and a leg from today onwards. Sooner or later, you may want to reconsider eating out and bring your own food from home (although price of vegetables & meat had gone up as well).
Having said that, here’s one that shows that some Ministers still sticking (rather stubbornly) their head into the ground:-
KUALA LUMPUR: TRANSPORTATION and logistic companies have been warned against raising their charges in view of the toll rate hike. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Hasan Malek said the ministry could take action against their umbrella body if companies that come under it raised their charges.
“The associations can be charged under the Competition Commission Act 2010 if they influence their members to increase their charges.”
Traders were warned not to use the toll rate hike as an excuse to raise prices of goods.
Hasan said the ministry would take action against traders who took advantage of the hike, adding his ministry had started checking in Klang Valley traders were increasing their prices.
“It is a difficult time for Malaysians. The traders should not push the burden to the consumers but, instead, share it with them.”
(Source)
Don’t you feel like want to puke when you read this statement “It is a difficult time for Malaysians. The traders should not push the burden to the consumers but, instead, share it with them”?
Which profit driven company in their right mind want to do that? There is no way they will be dumb enough or charitable enough to absorb the cost themselves. The question is whether the Government is doing something at their end to also lessen the burden of the consumers?
What is happening with the Government themselves realizing that it is a difficult time for Malaysians and curtailing their over the board expenses?
Some of them are still flying all around the world with the same happy sickening face – obviously, times are still good for them (pressed further, they may even ask – what difficult time?).
At the end of the day, it is not just about increase of cost for one or two items but rather the cascading effect of the cost increase. Couple that with lack of enforcement and you going to have unscrupulous businesses taking advantage of the situation and sell things high. If it is a reasonable increase and if it is something that cannot be avoided, that is understandable. At the end of the we cannot have businesses who pay taxes & employ others to close shop.
One thing you can be certain – that you can be rest assured that more “Christmas goodies” is on the way from Najib’s Administration. Remember it well in the next general election.