What are anti-competitive mergers, and why are they bad?

Not all mergers give rise to competition issues. Many mergers are either pro-competitive (because they positively enhance levels of rivalry), or are competitively neutral. In order to determine whether a merger is anti-competitive, CCS will assess whether the merger leads to a substantial lessening of competition, e.g. resulting in an increase in prices above the prevailing level, lower quality, and/or less choices of products and services for consumers. If so, such a merger will infringe Section 54 of the Competition Act.