RIYADH — Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qasabi intends to issue a decision establishing fines for sales-related violations that have not previously been subject to penalties.
The move falls within the Ministry of Commerce’s mandate to enforce sanctions for violations under its jurisdiction, as stipulated in the schedule of municipal violations, with the objective of strengthening compliance with sales regulations and safeguarding consumer rights.
The draft decision, published on the Istitlaa Public Survey platform to solicit public feedback before its approval, proposes fines ranging from SR200 to SR1,000 for violations including refusing to sell products, refusing to issue invoices, failing to display prices on goods, and failing to provide flatbread and rolls by automated and semi-automated bakeries benefiting from subsidized flour. Businesses committing these violations will be granted a corrective grace period of up to 14 days.
The draft also proposes fines of SR200 to SR1,000, with a corrective grace period not exceeding 14 days, for a range of other violations. These include failure to comply with the establishment’s exchange and return policy; discrepancies between the displayed price of a product or service and its final selling price; providing inaccurate information about displayed, marketed, or advertised products; maintaining inaccurate contact information; displaying the phrase “Goods are neither returnable nor exchangeable,” or any similar wording, on the establishment’s premises, documents, or advertisements; failing to include a brief description of the product or service on the invoice; removing the closure sticker or review request affixed to the establishment’s entrance without the ministry’s approval; and any other sales-related violation for which no specific penalty has been prescribed.
The draft further stipulates fines ranging from SR1,000 to SR5,000, accompanied by a corrective grace period of no more than 14 days from the date the fine is imposed, for violations such as wasting flour, dough, or bread in excess of 5 percent of the establishment’s weekly allocation, possessing or displaying goods of unknown origin or containing misleading information, and failing to open a bank account for the establishment.
For the repackaging or misuse of subsidized flour by establishments that rely on state-subsidized flour in their production, the draft proposes fines ranging from SR2,000 to SR10,000, with a corrective grace period not exceeding 14 days from the date the fine is issued.
The draft also provides for a fine equivalent to the difference between the regulated price and the actual selling price, with a minimum penalty of SR5,000 and a maximum of SR100,000, for violations including charging prices above those set by the competent authority or increasing the prices of subsidized goods.
In addition, the draft stipulates that fines for most of these violations will be doubled in cases of repeat offenses. It also notes that the applicable fines vary across five levels, based on the classification of municipalities and local authorities.
Source: Saudi Gazette