(Finance) – The rise ofinflation in March worries i consumers who return to raise the alarm about the cost of living. The comments of the women were more calm associations employers who underlined that this is a figure conditioned by the basis of comparison, a period strongly characterized by the sudden drop in prices energy prices.
“Retail prices rise on average by +1.3% on year, demonstrating how, net of the effects of energy goods on the inflation rate, the prices of all other goods and services continue to increase unabated, albeit with different rhythms depending on the sectors – explains the president of Codacons, Carlo Rienzi – This happens despite the fact that in the last two years the price lists have risen by a total of 13.8%, and in the absence of elements justifying the new price increases. On the contrary, prices in Italy, after two years of high costs of living, not only should not rise, but should begin a decline which, unfortunately, is not yet seen.”
“In recent days they had reported how the holidays would be characterized by a series of retail price increases which would affect goods and services typical of Easter – underlined the President of AssoutientsGabriele Melluso – Today Istat confirms our alarm by recording prices rising by an average of 1.3% on an annual basis, and highlighting how the strongest increases concern transport-related services, that is, those that Italians use en masse during holidays for moving and traveling, which rise by 4.4% on year, food, essential goods on family tables during the holidays, catering services and those of accommodation facilities”.
“Bad news! Easter sting! As always during the holidays there are those who happily speculate on people’s holidays. Prices for air passenger transport rise by 17.6% in just one month and in particular international flights take off by 20%, placing it in 1st place in monthly increases, followed in second place by domestic flights with +8%.International holiday packages also increase in February by 3.6%, hotels, motels and guesthouses by 1.7%. Even the trend data are shocking: national flights show a +19.2% compared to last year (in 2nd place in the monthly top ten after olive oil with +45.9%), national holiday packages cost 8.2% more, rail passenger transport 8%, international flights 7.3%, hotels and motels 6.7%. In short, it can’t get any worse than this!” says Massimiliano Dona, president ofNational Consumers Union.
“The return of inflation is confirmed to be taking longer than expected and is worrying, in the future, about the return of tensions on energy: the Istat data, relating to the inflation forecasts for March, in fact shows the reappearance of the problem linked to the prices of raw materials energy, partly already foreseen, considering the crisis situation in various geographical areas largely linked to oil, first and foremost, but capable of influencing the entire transport system at an international level, in particular those using the Mediterranean”. As Confessors in a note.
“The rise in inflation was widely expected – our assessment was +1.5% – and should not cause particular alarm. In fact, beyond some seasonal effects, such as the increase in prices of some transport services and tourism, the increase on an annual basis is closely related to the comparison with a period in which energy prices were in sharp and sudden decline, so much so as to determine a 0.4% reduction in inflation in economic terms in March 2023 “. The Research Office instead commented Confcommercio to Istat data on inflation in March. “The March inflation figure does not represent a significant deviation from the path of progressive decline in prices, confirming that in Italy and the euro area the main threat is not the dynamics of inflation but economic stagnation”, he also underlined CNA.
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