The National Assembly (Parliament) passed on Wednesday a draft law on protecting the rights of consumers. The law would outline a set of fundamentals aimed at protecting the consumer from abuses that might be resorted to by businesses, such as price gouging or selling shoddy merchandize or refusing to accept returned items, indicated an explanatory addendum to the draft bill as indicated by the parliamentary committee on financial and economic affairs. The bill further lays out the principles that should be followed when establishing the National Consumer Protection Society and when advertising products and services to the consumer. Moreover, the bill addresses the nature of penalties that could be imposed on businesses that violate the spirit and letter of the new law