Anti-trust laws are in place to encourage competition in the market place and to prevent an abuse of power when only one company offers services. For example, any company which has a monopoly in one area may charge consumers higher prices, as there is no competition. Anti-trust laws prevent monopolies from being formed, which encourages businesses to offer quality services at reduced rates in order to compete with one another.
Anti-trust laws help to protect consumers. When businesses must compete, they tend to offer better products and services to consumers. In addition, consumers are often offered reduced rates when a business has competition in the area.
Anti-trust laws also control pricing in cases where there are monopolies. Although sometimes monopolies are found to exist, the Government does not allow those companies to charge excessive prices, especially when it is a necessary service such as propane.