Ten Ways Congress Can Help the U.S. Consumer

Publication Date: April 1989

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): John W. Merline

Research Area: Economics

Keywords: Government reform

Type: Report

Abstract:

The consumer stands to suffer whenever government intervenes in the marketplace - even when such intervention supposedly is on behalf of the consumer. Forcing businesses to divert billions of dollars each year to meet the often arbitrary demands of regulators rarely serves the consumer’s best interest.Thus as lawmakers consider ways to help the consumer during National Consumers Week, they should resist the spurious demands from “consumer advocates” to raise consumer prices and restrict choice, and seek instead steps to promote competition among suppliers and freedom of choice for consumers.