(1) means of economic control. Economic control means is one of the important control means commonly used in market economy countries. It means that the government regulates the demand and supply of commodities according to the inherent law of price formation and the law of market supply and demand, so as to achieve the purpose of regulating market prices. Under the condition of market economy, the government's economic control means mainly include:
① Monetary policy. At different stages of economic operation, the government uses monetary policy to adjust the money supply and the direction of money use, so as to adjust the total social demand and supply, promote their balance, and realize the basic stability of the overall price level. Monetary policy is the most powerful means to stabilize the overall price level.
(2) fiscal policy. National fiscal revenue has the mission of stabilizing the economy, and it also plays an important role in promoting the optimization of industrial structure, improving economic benefits and stable economic development through fair tax burden and encouraging competition. In the case of insufficient effective market demand, the government can increase financial expenditure to promote the purchase of social goods and services, and overcome the underemployment and economic recession caused by weak market. When the overall price level rises due to excessive market demand, we can reduce the demand for social products and services by reducing government financial expenditure, thus promoting the balance between supply and demand and stabilizing prices.
③ Investment policy. Investment demand is an important factor affecting the balance between total social demand and total supply. According to the situation, the government can use the investment policy in time to promote the basic balance between the total social supply and the total social demand by adjusting the total investment scale, so as to achieve the basic stability of the overall price level.
④ Import and export policies. In the case that the market is in short supply, the government can alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of some commodities in the domestic market by adopting policy means of restricting exports and expanding imports; In the case of oversupply in the market, the government can adopt policies and measures to restrict imports and encourage exports to alleviate the contradiction of oversupply in the domestic market of some commodities, so as to achieve the goal of stabilizing the overall domestic price level.
⑤ Important commodity reserve system. The so-called important commodity reserve system is a management system in which the government establishes the regulatory inventory of some important commodities to stabilize or stabilize the market price level, and adjusts the market price through the handling of the inventory. When the government chooses to reserve important commodities, it should generally meet the following conditions: first, it has an important impact on the national economy and people's livelihood; Second, there is often an alternating imbalance between supply and demand, that is, sometimes supply exceeds demand, and sometimes supply exceeds demand; Third, the production and sales volume is relatively large; Fourth, the long-term storage of commodities is technically economical. Generally speaking, the important commodities that meet these conditions are mainly agricultural and sideline products that have a significant impact on the national economy and people's livelihood, such as grain, cotton, vegetable oil, sugar and other major agricultural and sideline foods, as well as strategic materials such as crude oil and important rare metals. Important commodity reserves serve the government in regulating market prices. When there is a big gap in the market supply of important commodities and prices skyrocket, it is necessary to sell reserve commodities in time, increase market supply and stabilize market prices; On the other hand, when the supply exceeds the demand and the price falls, the government should enter the market in time to purchase and transfer the reserves, so as to increase the market demand and restrain the price from falling too fast.
⑥ Price adjustment fund system. The so-called price adjustment fund is a special fund used by the government to regulate market prices, balance supply and demand or support operators. 1988 the State Council clearly put forward the requirement of establishing non-staple food price adjustment funds in cities across the country in the "Notice on Trial Implementation of Appropriate Subsidies for Workers due to Retail Price Changes of Major Non-staple Foods". At present, most cities in China have established a non-staple food price adjustment fund system. The price law determines the legal status of the price adjustment fund, and Article 27 stipulates that the government can "set up a price adjustment fund to adjust prices and stabilize the market". The price adjustment fund is set up to adjust some commodities that are prone to market price fluctuations and have a significant impact on the national economy and people's livelihood. These commodities mainly include agricultural and sideline products such as grain, cotton, oil, meat, eggs, vegetables and sugar. At present, the established price adjustment funds in China mainly include non-staple food price adjustment fund and grain risk adjustment fund. The price adjustment fund is mainly used for: First, supporting commodity production. Including financial support for the construction of production bases for controlled commodities and incentives or subsidies for producers. The second is the policy price difference subsidy for circulation enterprises. The third is to support market construction. The government can use the price adjustment fund to support the construction of wholesale markets and direct sales markets for certain commodities that are conducive to price control.
After years of exploration, western developed market economy countries have accumulated rich experience in adjusting market prices by economic means, and institutionalized and legalized many practices. Germany's Law on Economic Stability and Growth Promotion clearly stipulates that stabilizing market prices is one of the country's four major economic goals; Establish a federal bank independent of the government, with the primary task of ensuring monetary stability; Strictly limit the fiscal deficit, stipulating that the fiscal deficit can not be made up by issuing bank notes, but only by borrowing from the capital market; Stipulate that the increase in real wages shall not exceed the increase in labor productivity; Maintain foreign trade and balance of payments, etc. The United States has long used fiscal and monetary policies to regulate the total social demand. When economic recession and falling prices are not conducive to economic recovery, expansionary fiscal and monetary policies are implemented; When the economy grows at a high speed and inflation intensifies, tight fiscal and monetary policies are adopted. Adjust the market price by controlling the growth rate of money supply. In Japan, in order to control inflation, the government has adopted fiscal policies such as cutting expenses and increasing taxes, so as to prevent the overheated economy from heating up further. The Bank of Japan controls or delays the equipment investment of enterprises by raising the legal interest rate and controlling the money supply. In terms of ensuring supply, we always give priority to improving labor productivity, attach importance to adjusting domestic prices by importing, and strengthen the reserves of important materials such as energy. It is also an effective method adopted by many foreign countries to implement the price adjustment fund system to prevent the price from soaring and plunging. For example, Japan has established a vegetable supply guarantee fund system. The sources of the fund are state financial subsidies, local financial subsidies and funds paid by vegetable farmers who participate in the fund. The ratio of three sources is 4: 1: 1, which is used to stabilize the drastic fluctuation of vegetable prices and protect the interests of consumers and producers.
In western market economy countries, price policy is generally used to intervene in agricultural production and market sales to a certain extent. Agriculture is a special industry. Because complete market regulation is not conducive to the development of agriculture, it is objectively necessary for the state to adopt certain policies to adjust. In various policies, price is a flexible and effective adjustment mechanism. Therefore, all countries in the world, including developed market economy countries, have not given up state intervention in agricultural product prices, and this intervention has even been strengthened from time to time on the basis of continuous improvement. These interventions are more economic means.
(2) legal control means. The means of legal regulation is to adjust the price relationship with legal norms, so as to legalize the formulation, adjustment, realization, disputes and rulings of prices. In a sense, the market economy is the legal economy. A market economy that leaves the legal system, that is, a market that lacks competition rules and order, will inevitably lead to chaos in the market and social life. Therefore, the management and regulation of prices must also regulate market price behavior through legislation to protect fair market competition order. Standardize administrative and economic control measures through legislation and ensure their effective use in price control. Once the economic and administrative means of price control have obtained the legal form, they indirectly control the price in a higher form, which has the seriousness and authority of the law. Therefore, the legal means of price control are constantly enriched and improved in all countries of the world, and administration according to law has been widely popularized.
Regulating prices by legal means is mainly the form of regulating prices; Standardize the authority of price supervision and intervention; Standardize the rights and obligations of the subject of price behavior; Standardize the establishment, authority and responsibilities of price supervision institutions; Standardize the inspection and punishment methods of price violations; Standardize the use of price control means and measures.
In order to maintain fair, just and open competition and oppose price fraud and price monopoly, developed market economy countries have formulated relevant price laws and regulations according to their national conditions, which are strictly governed by law. These laws and regulations generally stipulate: it is forbidden to seek price monopoly between the same industry; Prohibit enterprises from implementing price discrimination that is harmful to competition; Deceptive pricing that harms the interests of consumers is prohibited; Protect fair trade, etc. For example, the Anti-Restrictive Competition Law enacted by the former Federal Republic of Germany with the theme of "the state has the responsibility to maintain competition order" has anti-monopoly institutions. It is forbidden for enterprises to reach an agreement on price, quality and output to monopolize the market; It is stipulated that any "market dominance phenomenon" occurs, that is, an enterprise controls the relevant market of13, with annual sales of more than 250 million marks, or three or less enterprise groups control the market of 50% or more, and five or less enterprises control the market of 2/3 or more, with annual sales of more than 10 billion marks, all of which are prohibited by law. In addition, Germany's laws and regulations on maintaining competition order include: anti-unfair competition law, adjustment of general business conditions law, discount law and provisions on additional gifts. The United States promulgated the antitrust law against monopoly. Japan has also promulgated the Law on Prohibition of Private Monopoly and Fair Trade in Commodities and the Market Law.
As China is still in the process of economic system transition, the legal system is still not perfect. To regulate market prices by legal means, it is imperative to speed up the pace of legislation and formulate laws and regulations against price fraud, price monopoly and price discrimination as soon as possible.
(3) Administrative control measures. Administrative regulation means that the government directly manages the formation and change of commodity prices in the form of administrative orders. Whether it is a planned economy country or a market economy country, it is an important aspect of the government's economic function for the government to control the change of market price through administrative means. The difference is only in the degree and scope of supervision. Administrative measures mainly include: implementing government-guided prices or government pricing for a few important commodities and services, limiting price difference or profit rate, setting price limits, implementing price increase declaration system, price adjustment filing system, centralizing pricing authority and freezing prices.
At present, the price directly managed by the central government in China has been reduced to 13, and the price categories directly managed by local governments are gradually decreasing. It should be noted that although there are fewer types of prices directly managed by the government, the tasks of management have not been reduced. This is because under the condition of market economy, the objective requirements for the government to directly manage prices have increased. Under the condition of market economy, it still needs hard work to manage these prices. It is necessary to establish a system of collective deliberation and expert evaluation of government pricing, and further improve the transparency and scientificity of government pricing by improving the hearing system of government pricing decision.
China's price reform has gone through more than 20 years. At present, the prices of most goods and services have been liberalized and formed by market competition. Under normal circumstances, operators set their own prices according to changes in market supply and demand, and the government does not interfere with operators' pricing. However, if, due to natural disasters, wars and other special reasons, some commodities are seriously in short supply, and the prices have risen or may rise obviously, and the overall price level fluctuates greatly, causing losses to the interests of the state, operators and consumers and affecting economic development and social stability, the government can take administrative measures to intervene in some prices. The main means are: limiting the price difference rate or profit rate, stipulating the highest and lowest price limits, and implementing the system of price increase declaration or price adjustment filing. If necessary, the pricing authority can also be centralized, and the price can be partially or completely frozen.
Developed market economy countries do not completely liberalize prices, and they all charge a certain fee when providing services to some specific targets. Although the specific charging items and standards are quite different, they are basically the same in management system and management mode. The fees charged by government departments in these countries are governed by laws, the charging items are stipulated by laws, and the charging standards and methods are formulated by administrative departments. When American federal government departments charge for providing specific services, they must be authorized by the US Congress. For example, the "New Immigration Law" passed by the US Congress 1996 authorizes the State Council and the Immigration Bureau to collect fees from the applicants in the immigration lottery as funds for handling the immigration lottery. The fundamental legal basis of German government fees is the use of federal management fees, and the legal basis of each specific fee is based on the use of federal management fees, and corresponding administrative regulations are formulated. According to the regulations on the use of federal management fees, the fees charged by government agencies at all levels must first be applied by the relevant administrative agencies, and then submitted to the parliamentary legislature at the same level for discussion and approval before the administrative agencies can implement them. In Japan, the fees charged by all government agencies are strictly regulated by law, and the charging system is not only promulgated in the form of regulations, notices or orders, but also has a clear legal basis when setting up projects. The whole administrative fee management is an administrative act based on national laws. According to international practice and China's national conditions, China's "Price Law" also stipulates the corresponding administrative fees management.