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Stefan Meierhans fights tirelessly against the high-price island of Switzerland. But now the prices are rising rapidly all around.
He campaigns against the high prices in Switzerland: price supervisor Stefan Meierhans. He tirelessly wants to lower drug prices or keeps an eye on the SBB. But now prices are climbing all over the place, and rapidly: petrol, heating oil, food, health insurance premiums. Everything is much more expensive or threatens to become so. Where can he intervene?
- Food: Agriculture, for example, demands higher prices because production costs have also risen. This is understandable, says Meierhans. However, he is afraid of free-riders who make increases unjustified, since it is no longer noticeable in the abundance of rising prices. Here the price monitor advocates reporting suspicious cases directly to him.
- Petrol: An app with the five cheapest gas stations in the region is intended to put pressure on petrol and diesel prices. “In Austria and Germany, prices have fallen by a double-digit percentage.” The competition has started to play out in favor of consumers. Now the Swiss authorities would have to move forward as quickly as possible, even shorten the regular path, in order to be able to offer this app in a few months. Because: “Those who come too late are punished by life,” fears the price monitor.
- Energy prices: Many energy companies are also publicly owned. The price monitor advocates that fees such as network costs, concession fees or transmission fees be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether. “The state is there for the citizens, and now they are in a bind and need support. It is legitimate to take less. For example, the concession fee is actually a tax.” Meierhans also hopes that decisions will be made soon.
The population is the main help and support for the Price Supervisor. They can have a major impact on prices with their purchasing behavior. That’s why Stefan Meierhans preaches like a mantra: «Compare prices». Although this is tedious, it could also uncover any abusive price increases.