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Profiteering is driving inflation, says former ACCC head Allan Fels


Profiteering has performed a significant position in inflation in Australia, Professor Allan Fels has argued in a report launched at this time, by which the economist and former Australian Competitors and Shopper Fee (ACCC) chair offers intensive proof that Australian companies have exploited a scarcity of competitors to push up costs over the previous two years.

The report is the results of an inquiry commissioned by the Australian Council of Commerce Unions and comes after an prolonged debate between progressive economists, the US Federal Reserve, the OECD, the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Financial institution (all of which have recognized the numerous position of profiteering within the post-pandemic inflation spike) and the Reserve Financial institution and conservative economists right here (who insist income have performed no position in inflation and that it’s the fault of wages development and extra demand).

Fels’ report takes the central defence of those that reject income as a explanation for inflation — the general degree of revenue within the financial system — and turns it towards them.

Company gross working income rose 45% between end-2019 and mid-2022. They stayed close to these report highs in late 2022 and early 2023; they’ve partly moderated lately however stay excessive by historic requirements … For 2022 as an entire, company income equalled 28.7% of GDP — the best for any calendar 12 months on report. The expansion of company income vastly outstripped the enlargement of actual output after the pandemic; the spectacular rise in income can’t be defined by will increase in actual output or gross sales for firms. As a substitute, it mirrored a fast run-up in nominal costs for every unit of output.

Fels rejects the argument peddled by the Reserve Financial institution that that is all due to mining and vitality income that should be ignored as a result of they primarily relate to exports:

Earnings of mixture non-mining sectors additionally grew disproportionately to their whole income and value-added … even in 2022, non-mining company income have been about 1.5 share factors larger as a share of non-mining GDP than in 2019 (earlier than the pandemic).

Sure strategic sectors — manufacturing, wholesale commerce, and transportation — have seen particularly sturdy revenue development such that they’re “now rivalling that of the mining sector”.

He additionally mocks the Reserve Financial institution’s argument that surging vitality income are unrelated to inflation — a declare that “will appear particularly far-fetched to any customers who’ve grappled with sky-high costs for petrol, fuel, and electrical energy over the previous difficult years”.

What have been the worst sectors? Aviation (most likely the one business the place even revenue denialists admit gouging has pushed inflation), banking, baby care, electrical energy (below the failed present regulatory regime that permits gouging to happen) and meals and groceries. All of these sectors are marked by excessive ranges of focus, which Fels argues should be addressed via substantial reforms to competitors legislation — which permits worth gouging if it doesn’t fall into particular classes of anti-competitive conduct — and extra powers for the ACCC to research, identify and disgrace, and prosecute worth gougers.

In some very concentrated markets rivals are capable of increase costs in parallel with out having an illegal worth fixing settlement. These costs may be excessive as or larger than a cartel could cost. One other instance is pricing by a dominant or monopoly agency: this isn’t addressed by competitors legislation. Even if the best concern of economists with monopoly or market energy is dangerous excessive costs, excessive and unfair costs will not be prohibited by competitors legislation. There was an ideologically-driven resistance to competitors legislation addressing this characteristic of monopoly behaviour in Australia and in North America.

Fels additionally desires a correct divestiture energy added to competitors legislation in order that the ACCC might drive dominant companies to be damaged up.

One different suggestion Fels makes is one which neither governments nor incumbents in closely concentrated industries can be snug with: he desires a “Fee on Competitors and Costs to overview authorities and different restrictions on competitors and excessive costs brought on by a scarcity of competitors”. Governments themselves have a historical past of facilitating lack of competitors — from main challenge infrastructure tendering to “essential infrastructure” legal guidelines that improve obstacles to entry to protectionism for native industries (suppose anti-dumping).

Fels’ report accommodates a mountain of proof for the position of profiteering in inflation. Over to the denialists to attempt to present why he’s mistaken.

How a lot do you blame company profiteering for the present value of dwelling disaster? Tell us your ideas by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please embody your full identify to be thought-about for publication. We reserve the proper to edit for size and readability.



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