Fine Gael has accused the Government of endangering the economy by refusing to tackle "Rip-Off Ireland" and said it is time for a competition revolution.
The party's spokesman for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Phil Hogan, blamed Government inaction on the consumer agenda saying that Ireland is now the most expensive country in Europe.
Mr Hogan said reform of the Competition Act is needed and that in government, his party would double the budget of the Competition Authority to give it the powers it needs to combat anti-competitive practices.
He told delegates at the party's conference in Cork today that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has "talked big but delivered small.
"Right now, we have no head of the Competition Authority and the much trumpeted National Consumer Agency is still a year away."
Mr Hogan said that stories of "Rip-Off Ireland" are emerging almost every day and pointed to a recent survey carried out by Fine Gael which showed that people with disabilities, the Health Service Executive and the taxpayer are "paying an average of 40 per cent more than their British counterparts over a range of basic disability equipment."
He said that the key to inspiring Ireland's competitiveness would be in tacking the role that State utilities play in fuelling high prices. "That is why it is established Fine Gael policy to create a single Regulator and sweep away the waste and unnecessary bureaucracy that the myriad of Sectoral Regulators currently allows to flourish."
Mr Hogan said people on low and fixed incomes have been hit the hardest by rising prices, but said the current situation is "eroding the purchasing power of every worker in the State."