Inflation rate stable at 3.0 percent

• Airline ticket prices push inflation up
• Prices food products have downward effect on inflation
• Inflation rate Netherlands far above eurozone level

The latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that inflation was stable in February. In January as well as in February, consumer prices were 3 percent up from one year previously.

Prices of airline tickets were 18.5 percent higher in February than in February 2012. The price increase pushed inflation up, but food prices had a downward effect on inflation. Consumer prices were 2.7 percent higher in February than one year previously, but the price increase in January was 3.8 percent on an annual basis. On balance, inflation did not change.

The Dutch inflation rate calculated according to the European harmonised method (HICP) stood at 3.2 percent in February just as in January. The eurozone rate fell by 0.2 percentage points in February to 1.8 percent. Since the VAT hike in October 2012, the Dutch rate has been significantly above the eurozone level.