Energy bill hikes to push inflation up

ENERGY bill rises and increases in fuel costs are expected to push the latest inflation figure to 2.8 per cent today, above the government’s 2 per cent target.

The upward movement in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation for February follows a four-month run when it has remained at 2.7 per cent. Economists predict CPI will rise to 3.5 per cent in the summer.