Consumer Policy for Trinidad and Tobago

PRINCIPLES AND PRIORITIES OF CONSUMER POLICY:

Principles

Consumers are entitled, irrespective of geographical location, to the receipt of essential goods and services with special emphasis on those produced by public utilities;
Hoarding of basic and essential goods should be prohibited;
Conditions of sale and/or refusing to sell should be made offences (except in conditions of scarcity or abnormal circumstances).

Priorities

To ensure the fair distribution of basic and essential goods and services, where this distribution is endangered, as could be the case in rural areas both in Trinidad and Tobago;
To provide for the creation of adequate storage and retail facilities in rural areas, incentives for consumer self-help and better control under which essential goods and services are provided in rural areas;
To encourage the establishment of consumer cooperatives and related trade activities, as well as information about these, especially in rural areas.