AMSTERDAM: The Dutch rate of inflation fell marginally to 0.6% in January, due to lower prices for home nursing, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.
Last January, the government scrapped a special benefit for people with chronic health conditions, so they now have to pay more for home help services.
The impact of that has now been absorbed into the rate of inflation, hence the drop, the CBS said. Plane tickets are also 5% cheaper than a year ago, but clothing is almost 2% more expensive, the CBS said.
When calculated in line with eurozone guidelines, the Dutch rate of inflation is just 0.2%, 0.3 percentage point down on December. At the same time, eurozone inflation has risen to 0.4%. The Dutch rate of inflation was last below that of the eurozone in March 2015, the CBS said.
