Prices can be both unfair and illegal if they are “too low,” “too high,” or “too close to competitors’ prices, according to the government

See What prices does the government like? by Mark Perry.

"1. If your company’s prices are too close to the same as your competitors’ prices, government bureaucrats will come after you and charge you with price-fixing and collusion as 35 auto parts manufacturers found out recently:

To date, 35 corporations have pleaded guilty in the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division into alleged price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation by auto parts manufacturers.

 2. If your company’s prices are too high, government bureaucrats will come after you and charge you with price-gouging, as five airlines found out recently:

The U.S. Transportation Department is investigating five of the nation’s largest airlines for potential price gouging in the aftermath of May’s deadly Amtrak crash. The department on Friday sent letters to American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United asking for information about what they charged customers in the weeks after the crash, when Amtrak service in the Northeast was disrupted.

3. And finally, if your company’s prices are too low, government bureaucrats will come after you and charge you with predatory pricing or selling products below cost, as the grocery chain Meijer found out recently after opening stores in Wisconsin:

Meijer’s recent opening of two Wisconsin stores has led to a state investigation to determine if the Midwest retailer violated a Depression-era law that keeps products from being sold below cost.
There are 37 products reported in four complaints filed against the Michigan-based retailer. Products reported to be priced too low range from 28-cent a pound bananas to a $1.99 gallon milk (see graphic above).
The complaints were filed with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which is charged with enforcing the the Unfair Sales Act, also known as the minimum markup law, which covers the sale of gas, tobacco and general merchandise products sold in Wisconsin.

MP: So according to the government, whether a company’s prices are “too low,” “too high,” or “too close to its competitors’ prices,” those prices could be determined to be both unfair and illegal? Oh, and I thought the government wants to help poor people, so why would it object to Meijer’s selling its milk and bananas to low-income shoppers at extremely low prices, even if some of those prices might be below Meijer’s cost – why make such a a generous form of corporate charity illegal?"