Ticket re-sale sites such as viagogo and Stubhub should face a tough new licensing regime which could see companies that break the rules shut down, the UK competition watchdog has said.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had taken strong action in recent years to protect customers but there was a limit to what regulators could do under present powers.
It said “swift and effective” action to tackle resellers who rip off or mislead sports and music fans was “not possible under the current law”.
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Viagogo now a ‘leader in consumer protection’
The CMA said that with music festivals and large sporting events resuming over coming months it was recommending changes to the law and existing regulations to protect consumers.
They include a ban on platforms allowing resellers to sell more tickets for an event than they can legally obtain from the original seller.
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The regulator also wants to ensure that these platforms are fully responsible for incorrect information about tickets that are listed for sale on their websites.
In a further recommendation, the CMA is calling for a new licensing system for secondary ticket platforms that would enable regulators to “act quickly and issue sanctions”.
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These could include “taking down websites, withdrawing a business’s right to operate in the sector, and the imposition of substantial fines”.
The CMA said: “Whilst the bulk-buying of tickets ahead of real fans by professional resellers – who then sell them at inflated prices – may be illegal, swift and effective action by authorities is not possible under the current law.
“Similar issues arise in relation to laws which prevent resellers advertising tickets using incorrect information, or ‘speculatively selling’ tickets that they don’t own.”
In recent years the CMA has taken action against secondary ticketing websites for failing to provide important information to consumers.
That has included ordering viagogo and StubHub to remove misleading messaging about ticket availability, and to advise customers where tickets they buy might see them turned away at the door of a venue.
George Lusty, senior director for consumer protection at the CMA, said: “The secondary ticket websites are now worlds apart from those we saw before the CMA took action.
“While it is clear that concerns about the sector remain, there are limits to what the CMA and other enforcers can do with their current powers.
“With live music and sporting events starting back up we want the government to take action to strengthen the current laws and introduce a licensing regime for secondary ticketing platforms.
“If adopted, these proposals will help prevent people getting ripped off by unscrupulous resellers online and we stand ready to help the government to implement them.”
A viagogo spokesperson said: “We have argued strongly that the UK should grasp the opportunity of the COVID-19 recovery to improve the events industry and strengthen market collaboration between all players including event organisers, venues, primary and resale platforms.
“We are open to all ideas as to how that is achieved, but it must be carefully considered and focused on improving the industry’s service for customers.”
The figures may signal the end of falling inflation given cost pressures being placed on big businesses, according to BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.
Retailers face a barrage of costs which the BRC forecasts will amount to an extra £7bn for retail businesses next year.
If the government wants to prevent higher shop prices it must reconsider the April 2025 timeline for the new packaging levy and reduce the commercial property tax known as business rates “as early as possible”, Ms Dickinson added.
The minimum wage uplift will bring pay for people over 21 to £12.21 an hour and take effect in April. People aged 18 to 20 will have to earn at least £10 an hour – something the TUC (Trades Union Congress) said could benefit 420,000 young people – as part of the government’s goal of paying the same minimum wage to all workers, regardless of age.
Also from April, employers will have to pay more national insurance for their staff.
Businesses’ national insurance contributions will increase from 13.8% to 15% with the current £9,100 threshold at which employers start to pay the tax on employees’ earnings lowering to £5,000.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended the increase saying half of all businesses – roughly a million firms – are paying either less or the same national insurance contributions as they were before the budget due to the uprated employment allowance, a tax credit for some employers.
“I’m not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes. And that is why at this budget, we did wipe the slate clean to put public finances and public services on a firm footing,” she told attendees at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference.
“As a result, we won’t have to do a budget like this ever again.”
Ms Reeves’ budget has faced sharp criticism frommajor UK businesses who have said the policy measures will cost them millions, forcing them to raise prices and cut jobs.
Analysis from independent forecasters the Office for Budget Responsibility said the budget would cause inflation to be higher than originally predicted, adding to the disquiet.
But Ms Reeves has insisted there is no alternative to her policies.
“I’ve heard a lot of feedback but what I haven’t heard is a lot of alternatives,” she said on Monday afternoon.
The £22bn “black hole” in public finances needed to be plugged, which necessitated “difficult decisions”, Ms Reeves reiterated.
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5:34
CBI chief’s approach to budget tax shock
Full consultation on the employer taxes could not take place with firms, she added, because budgets are supposed to be made to MPs in the Commons and not leaked to industry or the media.
“It is the nature of budgets that you can’t announce or consult in the way over tax rates that you can with other policies,” she said.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the CBI, one of the UK’s most prominent business groups, said the budget business tax rises will hit firms rather than encourage growth.
A key goal of the Labour government is to grow the economy.
Kingfisher, the owner of Screwfix and B&Q, also said on Monday that the national insurance changes alone would force up its costs by £31m in the next financial year.
Meanwhile, the boss of McVitie’s, Jacob’s and Carr’s said the UK was losing its appeal for his business.
“We would like to continue to be a major investor going forward,” said Salman Amin, chief executive of snack food company Pladis.
But, he warned: “It’s becoming harder to understand what the case for investment is.”
Barclays has been fined £40m over capital raising that averted its need for taxpayer aid during the 2008 financial crisis.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that the bank should have disclosed more details to the stock market about the £11.8bn in funding, from Qatari and other sovereign investors, that it had previously described as “reckless” and lacking integrity.
The penalty followed a protracted investigation that began in 2013 but was held up by criminal proceedings brought by the Serious Fraud Office that led to the acquittal of all defendants charged, including Barclays.
A decision by the bank not to refer the FCA’s enforcement case to an Upper Tribunal meant that the watchdog’s planned fine could be imposed.
Its regulatory action concerned Barclays’ navigation of the events of 2008 when the-then Labour government took huge stakes in major lenders, including Lloyds and RBS – now NatWest – to prevent a collapse of the banking system.
The FCA said of its action: “The events in 2008 were of national importance as banks sought emergency recapitalisation.
“The FCA has a primary objective to ensure market integrity. Banks should treat their obligations to the market and shareholders seriously.”
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Barclays was yet to comment.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
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