Big corporations are getting away with overcharging their customers | Phillip Inman

Politicians must acknowledge that companies' systematic profiteering is pushing household finances over the edge

We should care more about being overcharged for the things we buy. After three years when UK shop prices have rocketed by about 20%, it is reasonable to examine whether the extra cost is justified and whether the government should have done more to protect us.

From the evidence it is clear that in too many cases the extra cost cannot be justified and governments have failed to intervene, doing much to undermine the foundations of social democracy. At the heart of the problem is the trend towards monopoly that characterises many of our most important industries - those where large companies have acquired huge marketing power and have found ways to cajole, entice and even bamboozle their customers to enhance their profits.