The Government is cracking down on the popular KAM market chain, which is the go-to destination for many of the lower income citizens. Often citizens would report food shortages in KAM, especially of the bulkier and cheaper packs of flour and cooking oil, and the Government accused the market of hoarding.

More than 300 inspectors have entered 84 KAM markets and warehouses today, and are looking for irregularities. These are easy to find, as the Government first imposed a limit on prices of many staple items, and then replaced this decision with a even more difficult to enforce limit on profit margins. It also recently reduced the VAT tax rate on food, which also pushed retailers to quickly try to accommodate the new rules.

We determined that in some units, the Government’s decision was not enforced in full, said UJP tax authority chief Sanja Lukarevska.