Facua denounces Carrefour, Alcampo, Dia, Aldi, Eroski, Lidl, Hipercor and Mercadona for not properly passing on the tax cut and criticizes Competition for not analyzing irregularities
The VAT reduction on food is still not correctly applied in large stores. That has been verified once again by Facua, which, after analyzing more than 1,000 prices in the eight largest supermarket chains, indicates that almost one in five products with reduced VAT are now sold at a higher price than before the government’s tax measure was applied. Specifically, 178 of the 1,020 prices analyzed (17.4%) have increased compared to what they were on December 30, Facua’s general secretary, Rubén Sánchez, said this Thursday at a press conference.
For that reason, the consumer association announced that these eight chains would again be suing the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) for evading the government’s tax cut. In this sense, he also criticized that the institution “has not shown that it is doing anything” to monitor these irregularities and that they have not yet received an answer to their previous complaint, in which only Mercadona fought.
Of the eight chains analyzed, the association has found more irregularities in Hipercor, where 26% of products have become more expensive compared to before the tax cut. The most alarming cases are round rice, the price of which, according to data from Facua, increased by 53% from December 30 to February 7, and the kilogram of zucchini, which has become 35% more expensive in these establishments.
It is followed by Aldi, where 18% of the products analyzed have increased in price, the same percentage as in Eroski. After Lidl (14%), Dia (12%), Mercadona (7%) and Alcampo (6%).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
