No food shortages and no sudden price hikes during Tet, orders Deputy PM
VOV.VN - Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, head of the Steering Committee for Price Management, has requested relevant ministries and sectors to ensure the balance of supply and demand, stabilise the market, and prevent goods shortages which may cause a sudden price hike during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
Outlining the necessary measures during a meeting held in Hanoi on December 28, Deputy PM Khai stated that the designated ministries and agencies must keep a close watch on market developments to deal with a potential shortage of goods which are subject to the price stabilisation programme and to nip any acts of market manipulation in the bud.
The Deputy PM went on to suggest that the Ministry of Transport move to enhance the management of passenger transport services during the upcoming Tet holiday in order to facilitate people’s travel. He asked that the Ministry strictly handle any acts committed by groups seeking to take advantage of people’s growing travel demand for the occasion by increasing ticket prices unreasonably and in an illegal manner.
The Ministry of Finance was urged to promptly propose the allocation of goods from national reserves to people in areas hit by natural disasters, storms, floods, and droughts to ensure that no one will be left hungry during the Tet holiday.
According to the Deputy PM, price management will be put under great pressure in 2023 following the expiry of several tax lines, the scheduled increase of base wages in the middle of the year, the start of large projects, and the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in China.
Price management will not be easy, especially when the National Assembly has moved to adjust the inflation rate to as high as 4.5% for next year, said Deputy PM Khai.
He then suggested that the designated ministries, agencies, and localities learn lessons from price management this year to address shortcomings and to implement the target set ahead in 2023.
The past 11 months has seen the country control the consumer price index (CPI) at 3.02%, with the figure projected to rise to 3.1% to 3.2% for the whole year.