HELSINKI: The year-on-year change in consumer prices was -0.0 per cent in March, up from -0.1 per cent in February, according to Statistics Finland. The slight rise in inflation was influenced, for example, by increases in the consumer prices of the vehicle tax, maintenance charges, and hospital and dentist fees from one year ago.
Consumer prices were raised in March by increases in the vehicle tax, maintenance charges, and hospital and dentist fees from one year ago. The rising of consumer prices was curbed most by reductions in the prices of liquid fuels and average housing loan interest rates from one year ago.
Consumer prices changed by 0.4 per cent from February to March. Starting from January, the changes in consumer prices are calculated based on the new base year of the Consumer Price Index 2015.
Each mid-month, Statistics Finland’s interviewers collect altogether around 48,000 prices on nearly 500 commodities from approximately 2,700 outlets for the Consumer Price Index. In addition, some 1,000 items of price data are gathered by centralised collection. According to the preliminary data on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, the rate of inflation in the euro area was -0.1 per cent in March while it was -0.2 per cent in February. The corresponding figure for Finland was -0.0 per cent in March.
