Butter is becoming a luxury item; rents in the Republic have reached an all time high – just two examples of prices that seem to be constantly on the move upwards.
Good news for the hard-pressed consumer is in short supply – even as inflation has reduced to a more sober 2 per cent.
And to add to the uncertainty, US president Donald Trump on Friday said he will impose a 50 per cent tariff on goods from the EU.
In previous years, the government has sought to help households with a range of one-off payments and double allowances, but the mood music coming from Leinster House is that those days are over as the chill winds of changing US tax and tariff policies bite.
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Two years ago, it seemed that every second headline and radio discussion was about the “cost-of-living crisis” but we don’t hear that expression much any more. Are we worn down with ever-rising prices?
On today’s In The News podcast Irish Times Consumer Affairs correspondent Conor Pope explains why prices in Ireland are staying stubbornly high and suggests ways people can help themselves. Cliff Taylor looks at the potential impact of tariffs.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
