UMM AL QUWAIN // About 300 shops in the emirate have been fined for various rule breaches.
The UAQ Department of Economic Development said 282 commercial and industrial shops were handed the penalties for offences such as not renewing licences, not abiding by the selling activity they were licensed for and distributing illegal advertising.
The department also seized more than 300 boxes of the outlawed paan chewing tobacco, unregistered cough medicines that were sold illegally and oral powders and creams.
The Consumer Protection and Inspection Department had warned 3,606 shops since the beginning of this year, giving each a chance to amend, before fines were issued. A total of 282 businesses were fined last month since they had taken no corrective steps.
Juma Ali Juma, head assistant at the inspection department, said that most shop owners renewed their licences before a fine was issued but a few of them left it too late.
The department has also made it mandatory for all shops to issue receipts and invoices in Arabic, said Juma Jassim Ahmed, head of the consumer protection section.
“This is the law of the UAE – Arabic language first and then English. It is the consumer’s right to get the bill written in Arabic, as well as all commercial contracts in Arabic. We have warned all sellers about this,” he said.
roueiti@thenational.ae