A battle with the competition regulator over the proposed ANZ, Suncorp tie-up has begun, with the first clash involving a group of rival lenders that want their submissions to the ACCC kept under lock and key.
Notional GST payments by local councils under an intergovernmental agreement with the Commonwealth are a voluntary act, not an impermissible tax in breach of the Constitution, the High Court has ruled.
The ACCC has secured a misuse of market power declaration against Tasmanian government-owned TasPorts in the regulator’s first action under amended competition laws, but the ports company will not pay a penalty as part of an agreement to resolve the case.
Online retailer Kogan has been hit with a $350,000 penalty for misleading customers during its 2018 TAXTIME promotion by offering discounts on products whose prices had been inflated, far short of the $2 million penalty sought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is seeking $2 million in penalties against Kogan, after a judge found statements the online retailer made during a 2018 promotion were misleading and drew consumers into the company’s “marketing web”.
EnergyAustralia will cough up $1.5 million in penalties for wrongfully disconnecting eight customers facing serious financial hardship.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has succeeded in its case against Kogan, with a judge finding statements the online retailer made during a 2018 promotion were misleading and drew consumers into the company’s “marketing web”.
Barristers for the ACCC and online retailer Kogan have been asked to robe up at home as the previously in-person trial shifts to videochat in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.
Tasmanian state-owned ports company TasPorts has admitted to charging additional fees to the owner of a local port, but has denied the ACCC’s allegations that these actions constituted a misuse of market power designed to stymie competition.