Delegates want to put gold in the list of price-stabilized goods, Minister says not yet

(Dan Tri) - Given the fact that unstable gold prices affect the prices of consumer goods, National Assembly delegates proposed to include gold in the list of goods with price stabilization. The Minister of Finance affirmed that this list has not been adjusted.

The story of gold price instability was raised by National Assembly delegates during the discussion session in the hall on the afternoon of November 12 about the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Prices.

The draft revised law assigns the People's Committee at the commune level to implement price stabilization, but National Assembly delegate Pham Van Hoa ( Dong Thap ) wondered "how can the commune level implement price stabilization when specialized staff at this level are very weak and lacking?".

National Assembly Delegate Pham Van Hoa (Photo: Hong Phong).

According to him, the law needs to specifically and clearly stipulate the responsibilities and powers of the People's Committee at the commune level in implementing price stabilization and coordinate with provincial-level sectors to perform this task.

Expressing his views on the list of price-stabilized goods, Mr. Hoa cited gold as an example and raised the question, "Can it be included in the list of price-stabilized goods?" Although gold is not an essential commodity, people consider gold very important.

The delegate from Dong Thap province pointed out that the gold price has fluctuated and fluctuated over time, affecting the prices of state-owned consumer goods. However, he also admitted that stabilizing the gold price is difficult because the domestic gold price is affected by the world gold price, and the difference between the two prices is quite large. Therefore, this is also an issue that needs attention.

Meanwhile, female delegate of Hung Yen province Tran Khanh Thu said that recently there have been many complaints related to rampant emergency transportation prices.

National Assembly Delegate Tran Khanh Thu (Photo: Hong Phong).

She proposed considering adding regulations on pricing for emergency transportation services, because there are currently no regulations guiding pricing and price management for this service.

According to Ms. Thu, emergency transportation is a special service but is currently not included in the list of medical examination and treatment services, nor is it a regular transportation service.

Explaining the issues of concern to delegates, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang mentioned the transfer of responsibility from district-level People's Committees to commune-level People's Committees in performing price stabilization tasks. He affirmed that this proposal is in line with the 2-level local government model.

Mr. Thang said that according to the decentralization mechanism for localities in the Law on Prices, the assignment and guidance of commune-level People's Committees to implement specific tasks is proactively coordinated by the provincial-level People's Committees with relevant departments and branches, in accordance with the actual local situation.

The 2023 Law on Prices and Decree No. 85/2024 of the Government have detailed the steps for organizing price stabilization at the local level. In particular, the department in charge of the industry and sector is responsible for assessing the actual developments in the market price level of goods and services, and sending a document to the Department of Finance to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and decision on policies, measures, and price stabilization period.

Provincial People's Committees have now issued decisions on assigning price management at the local level, according to the Minister.

Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang (Photo: Hong Phong).

Receiving the opinions of the delegates, the head of the agency in charge of drafting the law said that he will continue to research and review to ensure the implementation process and decentralize responsibilities to the commune level related to feasible price stabilization activities.

Regarding the opinion on reviewing and completing the list of price-stabilized goods and services, the Minister emphasized that during the process of drafting the law, the drafting agency coordinated very closely with the National Assembly agencies to review, evaluate, and adjust the list of items that are no longer suitable, as well as add a number of essential items to the price-stabilized list.

“The summary of the 2023 Price Law shows that there are currently no changes to the list. Therefore, we propose not to adjust the list of price-stabilized goods,” Minister Thang affirmed.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/dai-bieu-muon-dua-vang-vao-danh-muc-hang-binh-on-gia-bo-truong-noi-chua-20251112162807850.htm