消費者政策中的競爭議題、相互關係及政策建議－以臺灣經驗為例

Consumer Policy's Competition Issues, Relationships and Policy Suggestions in Taiwan's Experience

廖世机(Shih-Chi Liao)

《法政學報》 26期 (2014/12) Pp. 47-81

摘要

消費者政策與競爭政策原本是完全不同的行政領域，但因為全球化、產品多樣化、行為經濟學等的發展而使兩者關係趨於密切。消費者政策在行政實務處理上，常會遭遇到競爭政策也關心的議題，如價格、不實廣告等；雖然提升國家整體福利為兩者一致的終極目標，但由於政策理念根本不同，而行政處理的程序、作法及政策工具或有差異或有相近，因此在相關案例處理上會產生各自為政或互助合作的情形。綜合分析各項國內外文獻及我國實務案例，本文提出下列政策建議：消費者與競爭機關在執法時，遇有相涉議題時，應分工合作及互補不足，而消費者機關採行較干預性政策時，則應先經競爭評估，以免顧此失彼；當消費事件涉及多數人受害時，消費者與競爭機關應即啟動調查機制，並交換調查資訊，共同研商處理方式；消費者政策對一般的消費者，應採提升消費意識及支援其自立的措施為主，並透過競爭政策促進消費者整體利益，而對特定或弱勢的消費族群則可採較干預性的作法；為防制消費者產生不理性消費行為，宜採以消費者政策的干預作法為主，再以競爭政策維持市場交易秩序為輔。此外，在組織設計上，消費者政策與競爭政策不論分屬兩個組織或隸屬同一組織內，均宜由兩個不同的專業團隊執掌，但應建立經常性的統合協調機制。

關鍵字

消費者政策 ； 競爭政策 ； 消費者保護 ； 公平交易

並列摘要

Consumer policy and competition policy were originally entirely different administrative areas, but these two policies are becoming closer due to globalization, diversification of products and the development of behavioral economic, etc. The content of consumer policy in administrative practices is often related to competition policy issues, while promoting the overall well-being of the country is the ultimate goal of the both. Due to the philosophy, administrative procedure, practice and policy tool of these two policies are different or similar, so there are disjointed, mutual cooperation or complementary phenomena between these two policies in handling related cases . According to my comprehensive analysis of domestic and foreign literatures and Taiwan's practical cases studies, I provided the following suggestions as: consumer policy should focus on measures of enhancing consumer awareness and supporting self-reliance of general consumers in order to reduce market intervention and promoting consumers' overall interests through competition policy, and adopt vary interventional approach to the specific or disadvantaged consumer groups; when many consumers were hurt in a serious case, consumer and competition authorities should deal with it jointly in accordance with their respective authority and responsibility; when there are conflicts between these two policies, they should take consultation and cooperation in order that one of the policy authority can help another accomplish its work; for preventing consumers irrational consumption behavior, should adopt interventional practices through consumer policy firstly, and then to maintain market order supplemented by competition policy; besides, in organization design, consumers policy and competition policy should be responsible by respective professional sectors which also can be within the same agency in order to having both advantages of belonging in one agency and separating in two agencies.

並列關鍵字

Consumer protection policy ； competition policy ； consumer protection ； fair trade