Consumer rip-off - Watchdogs must be given teeth

NOBODY will be surprised to learn that Irish consumers are being fleeced. What is surprising is the scale of the rip-off in Dublin compared with the rest of the country where prices are already exorbitant.

According to a comparison of a range of 73 goods and services, prices were higher in Dublin in 47 instances and lower in the other 26.

Defying the economic doctrine that prices should come down where mass market conditions prevail, the results fuel suspicions that shadowy cartels are behind this country’s exorbitant price regime.