On June 4, Colorado Rep. Brianna Titone announced, “I’m running the bill on #priceGouging with @mjweissman [Mike Weissman] to be sure that pandemics like the one we’re experiencing now doesn’t result in higher prices merely because they can.”
Previously, Governor Jared Polis encouraged Congressman Joe Neguse to crack down on price gouging: “These tough times bring out the best in us, but also bring out the worst. Thank you @JoeNeguse for going after snakes who profit from exploiting us.” I responded, “‘The snakes who profit from exploiting us’ are precisely the politicians such as @JoeNeguse who impose (or seek to impose) shortage-causing price controls.”
AG Phil Weiser wrote, “Keep the calls coming about scams and cases of extreme price gouging. Here’s our advisory. https://coag.gov/press-/3-12-20/” Reporter Allison Sherry Tweeted March 12, “AG @pweiser office says they’ve been swamped with calls about price gouging on hand sanitzer—turns out Colorado’s statutes don’t have anything in there on gouging but his office is working with Amazon when reports come in.” Weiser wrongly conflates higher prices with “scams” in the press release: “The office’s Consumer Protection Division has been in contact with representatives from Amazon to coordinate efforts to address potential price gouging on items such as paper products, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and soap, and other goods. It is important for Colorado consumers to remain vigilant and report any scams. With these reports, the Attorney General’s Office will be able to work with other law enforcement agencies, including on a national level, to protect Colorado consumers and stop fraudsters. If you notice any scams, fraud, price gouging, or other attempts to take advantage of Coloradans during this public health emergency, contact Stop Fraud Colorado at 800-222-4444 or www.StopFraudColorado.gov. “
In an April column, I argued that laws and legal actions against price raising are unjust and harmful.
Update: The Colorado bill in question is HB20-1414.
Tags: colorado, price controls