154th Discovers That Inflation hits poorest 20% twice as hard...

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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=560><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=550 colSpan=2>Inflation hits poorest 20% twice as hard <!-- TITLE : end--><!--
This group was affected most by food and housing prices in first six months. -ST --></TD></TR><TR>

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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Tue, Aug 25, 2009
The Straits Times </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=400 align=right><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=right> </TD><TD height=15>

</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><FORM method=post name=emailToFriendForm action=emailToFriend.jsp><INPUT value=/vgn-ext-templating/asiaone/emailToFriend.jsp?vgnextoid=3d98e3492ec43210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=8269835dd2322110VgnVCM100000bd0a0a0aRCRD type=hidden name=emailToFriendPageURL> <INPUT value=http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20090825-163124.html type=hidden name=emailToFriendStoryLink> </FORM><SCRIPT> function openEmailA1AdminWindow(emailToFriendForm) { var emailToFriendPageURL = emailToFriendForm.emailToFriendPageURL.value; emailToFriendForm.action = emailToFriendPageURL; emailToFriendForm.target="_blank"; emailToFriendForm.submit(); } </SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><!-- Story Without Image / With eXtra Large Image End --><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By Joyce Teo
SINGAPORE's poorest 20 per cent were hit twice as hard by inflation than better off households during the first half of the year, new Government figures show.
Largely because of rising food and housing prices, the low-income group experienced inflation at 1.6 per cent in the six months to June, compared to 0.7 per cent for the middle 60 per cent and 0.9 per cent for the top 20 per cent of households.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/static/ads/scripts/adsimu.js"></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But these price rises are well down on the levels seen just a year ago.

<HR>Inflation and you

• The average household saw a 0.8 per cent inflation rate in the first half of the year, compared with 7.1 per cent in the same period last year.
• Housing costs dropped 1.3 per cent - largely down to cheaper electricity - while transport and communications costs fell by 3 per cent, mainly because of petrol price falls, in July this year compared with July last year.
• Full-year inflation should come in at between -0.5 per cent and 0.5 per cent, the Monetary Authority of Singapore predicts.

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