By Andy McCue, 16 February 2005 16:35
NEWS Pay-as-you-go mobile phones and laptops have been added to the list of goods used to measure the annual increase in consumer prices by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
Both were previously lumped in with other categories but such is the increasing popularity of the items that the ONS has been forced to give each its own separate category in the consumer price index (CPI).
The CPI is used to help track price rises and comes from the ONS' annual consumer "shopping basket" of 650 goods, which is used as a barometer of spending trends and patterns in the UK.
The basket contains a list of the most popular kinds of goods bought by consumers. Last year saw digital cameras and CDs bought over the internet added to the basket while minidisc players, along with frozen turkey, cheese slices and gin, were dropped.
The ONS' updated consumer shopping basket for 2005 is due to be published next month.
Comments
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1. anonymous
Once again we see inflation figures being fiddled by the addition of items that are known to fall in price.
Every week there are headlines of inflation-busting rises in this or that, but of course those things never make it into the basket. After all, the government wouldn't want inflation to rise now, would it?
One has to assume that this government knows that masking inflation doesn't make it go away, it just stores up even greater problems for later.
But the press have a duty here too. This is dangerous dishonesty on the part of the government which will come back to haunt us, and just because people prefer to hear that inflation is low doesn't mean they shouldn't be told the truth. Maybe it is time for the press to expose the lie by launching a search for people whose personal rate of inflation is the same as the rate reported by the government?
2. anonymous
Cooking the books and distorting the figures is what we should expect from government these days.
What about
Water Rates & Council Tax
Arguably non optional items, and what level of "inflation" have we seen on those.
3. Richard
10% Rise in my train ticket!
The price of my WAGN train ticket has risen by over 10 percent.
Council Tax, electricity, gas, etc. etc. have all increased by far more than the Government's claimed rate of inflation.
It must be an example of the "new maths."
4. anonymous
how about Council Tax rises, fuel bills, indexation of tax allowances