Tablet computers and teenage fiction such as the Twilight books have been added to the basket of goods and services that is used to calculate UK inflation. Casserole dishes, step ladders and charges for developing film have dropped out.
The latest changes, announced by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday morning, reflect the nation's changing buying habits. The ONS said tablet computers such as iPads had been added as they represent a "significant and growing market". Fiction was previously covered by children's and adult books, but with the growing popularity of many titles aimed specifically at teenagers, they have also been added to the basket on their own.
Bundled communication packages comprising telephone, internet and television are also included for the first time. Cans of stout, such as Guinness, have been added to widen the coverage of beers in the basket, along with pineapples, hot oat cereals and takeaway chicken and chips.
In addition, vehicle excise duty, television licence fees and trade union subscriptions, which are currently only used to calculate the retail prices index, will also be used in the consumer prices index.
However, the popularity of digital cameras means that charges for developing and printing colour film have been removed from the inflation basket. Glass ovenware casserole dishes and step ladders are also out.
In some cases new items are direct replacements for similar products that leave the basket. For example, walking and hiking boots have replaced outdoor adventure boosts, and a bag of foam sweets has replaced a bag of boiled or jellied sweets.
The ONS is increasingly collecting prices from large supermarkets as they venture into new areas such as toys, umbrellas and handbags.
Technology products and services have regularly been added to the inflation basket in recent years. Twelve months ago, the ONS added smart phones and apps. The list can shed light on changing spending patterns; in 2010, lip gloss and fish fingers were added, as the basket got a 1980s twist.
source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/13/teenage-fiction-ipads-inflation-basket
Category: Feature , News and Media
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