How does the Act address the problem of those traders who consistently engage in unfair practices?
There are provisions targeted at traders who persist in engaging in unfair practices. Under the Act, a District Court or a High Court could grant a declaration and an injunction against an errant trader, on the application of a specified body. CASE and the Singapore Tourism Board will be appointed as specified bodies under the Act to look after the interests of local consumers and tourists respectively. Before filing an injunction, the specified body must first obtain the endorsement of an Injunction Proposals Review Panel. The Panel will review whether there is a public interest to be safeguarded through the injunction. Process-wise, unless there are exceptional circumstances surrounding the unfair practice that warrant the specified bodies doing otherwise, the specified bodies should first offer an errant trader a non-litigious option in the form of a Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) before an injunction is applied for. A VCA is a voluntary agreement between a specified body and
