“We assure the public that every component will be thoroughly examined. If it is determined that businesses acted intentionally, monopolistically, or engaged in cartel practices for their own narrow interests at the expense of the population, appropriate actions will be taken,” stated Levan Makhashvili, Chairman of the Parliament’s European Integration Committee.

According to Makhashvili, the aim of pricing-related decisions is not to pressure businesses, but to alleviate the burden on the population.

“There are clear issues regarding prices that need to be addressed,” he added.

“These decisions will not be made to intimidate businesses, shut them down, or engage in blackmail. Our goal is to ensure that businesses can operate and make profits, while the population is not overwhelmed by a situation in which companies have complete control over the food sector. The reality is that no one is satisfied with current prices. Something is clearly amiss—there are systemic problems, and each sector must be examined. It seems there were serious shortcomings and potential violations by certain officials. Had they carried out their responsibilities properly and diligently, these issues might not have arisen,” Makhashvili remarked.

In response to opposition claims that Georgia’s tax policy is flawed and that the value-added tax (VAT) is excessively high, Makhashvili dismissed these assertions as unfounded.

“Value-added tax and profit tax have not changed since 2005. Furthermore, since 2017, businesses have been exempt from profit tax if they reinvest their profits. This indicates that the tax burden on businesses has not increased; in fact, it has been reduced. Nothing has changed in our tax policy, yet pricing issues persist. At this stage, no changes to the tax policy are planned. All details will be clarified within the parliamentary inquiry,” he stated.

Earlier, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, in a video address regarding consumer prices, announced that the government will actively work with distribution and retail chains to lower prices. He also urged Parliament to establish a special commission to assess the situation.