Dear Editor,
Accurate socio economic data is critical to addressing inflation and other problems facing a country. Workable policies are based on accurate data to address socio economic issues, without which, effective policies can’t be planned to address those problems. Poor data make predictions and solutions difficult. If data is deficient, it introduces errors and uncertainty in planning, causing policies to fail.
It seems incredible that inflation is only 8% when one’s (working class) salary can’t make ends meet. Prices or inflation data, in particular, are problematic in recent years. Prices have increased between two and four times for every item except for a few goods. While rentals, mortgage, and transport have gone up modestly, all of which are factored in measuring inflation, food prices have skyrocketed. Is the services sector under and or over represented in the basket of goods to calculate inflation. Prices of many services have risen and expenditures on them have increased dramatically. Is their weight in the consumption basket accurate?
How about health and education expenditures — are they accurately represented given that government has subsidized education and aspects of health. When inflation is given at say 8% and income is up by 10%, one concludes that the working class is in the driver’s seat. But that has not been factual. Inflation has eaten away all raises in the minimum wage and increments for state employees. Sugar workers have also been suffering, perhaps the most among all state workers.
Accurate data or consideration for the above points in calculating inflation will give a truer picture of real inflation. It will give a real picture of the economic state and also the economic conditions of the workforce especially their loss of purchasing power making it possible for state intervention to help the workforce. The state should consider the service of skilled economists to review data so we get a realistic or more accurate picture of macro-economic and social indicators and how to address them.
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram