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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 15, 2023 07:00 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Nick Pisciottano |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Pay the Price You See - Junk Fee Transparency |
| All too often when purchasing a concert ticket, booking airfare, or reserving hotel accommodations, consumers are surprised by the total cost of a good or service. In recent years, “junk fees”, or the unexpected, mandatory fees added onto the price of a good or service, have been increasingly used by businesses to take advantage of consumers. These fees can quickly add up and sometimes can add up to 30% more to the original price in additional charges. While the federal government is taking action to reduce or otherwise eliminate junk fees, we can also do our part to protect Pennsylvania consumers by requiring full disclosure of all purchase fees in the displayed price. My "Pay the Price You See" legislation would require the disclosure of all mandatory fees and charges included in the advertised and displayed price of any good or service. This would create a clear picture of the total cost of a product and would disincentivize the use of hidden fees to take advantage of the average consumer. Displaying a price without including all mandatory fees, would be considered an, "unfair method of competition" under Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. In a fair and free market, consumers deserve to pay the price they see so that they can judge whether the price of a product is worth the price being charged. Please join me in co-sponsoring this consumer protection legislation. |
Introduced as HB636