Low inflation may prompt budget stealth taxes

A persistent low inflation rate could lead to a rise in stealth taxes in next week’s budget, one economist has warned.

Falling oil prices and downward ECB interest rate movement continued to act as a drag on Irish inflation levels last month.

Newly published CSO data showed yesterday that consumer prices rose by 0.3% in September, bringing the annual rate of inflation down marginally from the 0.4% level seen in August.