{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prices-act-1974/section-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prices-act-1974/section-4.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1974/24",
  "legislation_title": "Prices Act 1974",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prices-act-1974",
  "path": "section/4",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Price marking.",
  "text": "(1) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for securing—\n(a) that prices are indicated on or in relation to goods which a person indicates are or may be for sale by retail, whether or not the goods are in existence when he does so;\n(b) that charges are indicated for services which a person indicates are or may be provided, except services which he indicates are or may be provided only for the purposes of businesses carried on by other persons;\n(c) that prices of such goods or charges for such services are not indicated in a manner which the Secretary of State considers inappropriate and that no part of a penny except one half-penny is specified in the amount of an indicated price or charge.\n(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, an order under this section may specify the kinds of goods or services to which and the circumstances in which the order applies and—\n(a) may make provision as to the manner in which any price is to be indicated;\n(b) may require that the price or charge to be indicated on or in relation to any goods or services shall be, or shall include, a price or charge expressed by reference to such unit or units of measurement as may be specified in the order;\n(c) may, in relation to goods or services subject to value added tax, make provision as to the circumstances in which the price or charge to be indicated may or may not be exclusive of the tax and as to the indication to be given of the tax included in, or payable in addition to, the price or charge;\n(d) may make different provision in relation to different circumstances and may contain such supplementary provisions as the Secretary of State thinks necessary or expedient.\n(3) Before making an order under this section the Secretary of State shall consult, in such manner as appears to him to be appropriate having regard to the subject-matter and urgency of the order, with such organisations representative of interests substantially affected by the order as appear to him, having regard to those matters, to be appropriate.\n(4) The power to make an order under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument and includes power to vary or revoke a previous order; and a statutory instrument containing an order under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.\n(5) In the application of this section to Northern Ireland for any reference to the Secretary of State there shall be substituted a reference to the Department of Commerce for Northern Ireland and any order made by the Department under this section shall be a statutory rule for the purposes of the Statutory Rules Act (Northern Ireland) 1958 and be subject to negative resolution within the meaning of section 41(6) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 as if it were a statutory instrument within the meaning of that Act; and subsection (4) above shall not apply to any such order except in so far as that subsection confers a power to vary or revoke a previous order.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 4(1) substituted by Price Commission Act 1977 (c. 33), s. 16(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words inserted by Price Commission Act 1977 (c. 33), s. 16(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 4(3) substituted (22.7.2004) by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2004 (c. 14), Sch. 2 para. 11"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words inserted by Price Commission Act 1977 (c. 33), s. 16(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1958 c.18 (N.I.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1954 c. 33 (N.I.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "P",
      "label": "P1",
      "text": "S. 4: s. 4 power exercised by S.I. 1991/206.S. 4: s. 4 power exercised by S.I. 1991/1382S. 4: s. 4 power exercised by S.I.1991/1690S. 4: for exercises of this power see Index to Government Orders."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/24/section/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:44:59.065847+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}