Anguilla Consumer Price Index down 3.1% over the past year.

(The Valley, Anguilla) - The cost of goods and services in Anguilla increased incrementally by 0.1% between July-September 2009 and  April-June 2009, according to the Anguilla Consumer Price Index (AXACPI) released this month. Overall however,  compared to the same 3rd quarter period in 2008, goods and services were cheaper by about 3.1%.

Over the year, the 3rd quarter of 2009 showed increases in six catergories and declines in five, compared to 2008.

An increase in the cost of medical services drove the "Medical" category up 54.3%, while increases in exam fees and private tutoring pushed Education higher by 10%.

The “Drink & Tobacco” category measured an annual increase in prices of 4.3%; this was in part due to the increase in the cost of beers which increased by 4.8%, rum by 2.7% and cigarettes by 5.6%.

The “Accommodation” category experienced an increase of 1.9%, which was partly due to the increased cost of property tax, blocks and water delivery.

The “Food” & “Personal” categories experienced increases of 1.2% & 0.9% respectively. This was partly due to the increased cost of some food items and in the cost of driving lessons and a gent’s haircut.

The “Fuel” category experienced the largest decrease over the year with a decrease of 33.6%.

The “Household Goods” category experienced a decrease of 7.6%, as a result of the decrease in the price of a suite upholstered, mattress, a helper and a gardener.

The “Transportation & Communication” category experienced a decrease of 6.7% over the year, which was partly due to the decrease in cost of a telephone rental, tire, a gallon of gasoline which declined by 21.8%, the cost of repainting a car and an airfare to St. Thomas.

In the “Clothing & Footwear” category prices decreased over the past year by 3.1%, which was in part due to the decrease in the cost of some men and women apparels. The “Other” category also experienced a decrease over the past year with a decrease of 3.0%, which was due to the lower cost of power tools.

The small overall increase in the index in the 3rd quarter of 2009 compared to the 2nd quarter of 2009, was in large part due to the “Education” category which showed the highest percentage increase of 5.3% over the previous quarter’s index. This increase was in part due to the increase in the price of a CXC CSEC exam fee by 8.7% and private tutoring which increased by 108.3%, more than doubled the price in the 2nd quarter.

This levelling out across these two quarters represented the first successive quarters since Jun 2008 that the AXACPI has not decreased significantly. Between Mar 2007 and Jun 2008, the index had risen steadily across each quarter.

The CPI can be used in employer and employee contract negotiations to adjust wages, in rental agreements and child support agreements, pensions and other contractual price setting arrangements.

This report along with other CPI, are available at the Government of Anguilla Statistics Department’s website: www.gov.ai/statistics