ATLANTA – State Representative Carl Gilliard (D-Garden City) joins with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to urge Georgia businesses to refrain from price gouging amid the public health state of emergency regarding the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
“This is a defining moment in Georgia regarding the state’s handling of COVID-19, and businesses and merchants must adhere to the state’s ‘no price gouging’ laws,” said Rep. Gilliard. “Georgians cannot afford to be taken advantage of in the climate of the coronavirus crisis. Companies, businesses and merchants must adhere to fair pricing and not take advantage of Georgians during this difficult time. I have received a number of phone calls with horror stories of people who have been taken advantage of when purchasing toilet tissue to hand sanitizer.”
Under a state of emergency, Georgia law prohibits businesses or individuals from selling or offering for sale at retail any goods or services identified by the governor in the declaration of the state of emergency that are necessary to preserve, protect or sustain the life, health or safety of persons or their property at a price higher than the price at which such goods were sold or offered for sale immediately prior to the declaration of a state of emergency.
Additionally, the price of such goods and services can only be increased by an amount that accurately reflects an increase in cost of the goods or services to the person selling the goods or services or an increase in the cost of transporting the goods or services into the area or the price charged for those goods or services is no greater than the cost to the retailer of those goods or services, plus the retailer’s average markup percentage applied during the ten days immediately prior to the declaration of a state of emergency. Furthermore, the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division has the authority to investigate allegations of price gouging. Violators can be fined from $2,000 to $15,000 per violation. To report violations, consumers can call 1-800-869-1123 or complete the online complaint form on the Consumer Protection Division’s website.
For more information on Georgia’s price gouging laws, please click here.
Representative Carl Gilliard represents the citizens of District 162, which includes portions of Chatham County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and currently serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, and on the Insurance, Interstate Cooperation, State Properties and Transportation committees. He is also a member of the Working Group on Creative Arts & Entertainment and the Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Commission.
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