XN000022-1991-06-28 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1991

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR MAY PUBLISHED

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) PUBLISHED THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR MAY 1991.

THE 1989/90-BASED (P1(A) AND CPI(B) FOR MAY 1991 WERE 114.0 AND

113.6 RESPECTIVELY,

COMPARED WITH APRIL 1991, CPU(A) INCREASED BY 0.1% AND CPI (B) BY 0.5%, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIGHER CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES, HIGHER RENTS POR SOME PRIVATE HOUSING

UNITS, HIGHER MTR, ΚΟΗ AND LRT FARES AND HIGHER PRICES OF SUMMER

OUTERCLOTHING.

THESE PRICE INCREASES WERE PARTLY OFFSET BY DECREASES IN THE PRICES OF CIGARETTES BROUGHT ABOUT BY A REDUCTION IN TOBACCO DUTY AND IN THE PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES.

FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDING MAY 1991, THE 1984/85-BASED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) WERE 11.1% AND 10.9% RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN IN THE 12 MONTHS ENDING MAY 1990.

HIGHER

FOR MAY 1991, THEY WERE CORRESPONDINGLY 13.0% AND 12.4% THAN IN MAY 1990. THESE RATES OF INCREASE WERE SLOWER THAN THOSE RECORDED IN APRIL 1991 (13.9% AND 13.0% RESPECTIVELY), MAINLY DUE TO THE REDUCTION IN THE TOBACCO DUTY FROM 200% TO 100% WITH EFFECT FROM MAY 18, 1991.

ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, FASTER RATES OF INCREASE IN THE 1984/85-BASED CPL(A) IN MAY 1991 WERE RECORDED IN THE INDEXES. FOR ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO FOR HOME CONSUMPTION (60.9%) TRANSPORT AND VEHICLES (14.6%), SERVICES (13.9%), AND HOUSING (13.8%).

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IN

THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE FOR THE SAME COMPONENTS THE 1984/85-RASKD (PT(B) WERE 56.9%, 14.3%, 12.7% AND 13.0%

RESPECTIVELY.

THE

INDEX FOR FOODSTUFFS, WHICH HAS THE LARGEST WEIGHTING IN THE INDEX, INCREASED BY 11.7% IN CPL(A) AND BY 12.1% IN CPI(B).

THESE FIVE COMPONENTS TOGETHER ACCOUNTED FOR 89% OF THE OVERALL INCREASE IN THE OPT(A) AND 88% OF THE INCREASE IN THE CPI(8).

FOR THE PERIOD OF JANUARY TO MAY 1991, THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(8) OF THE 1984/85-BASED SERIES INCREASED

12.6% AND 12.1% RESPECTIVELY OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1990.

THE

1989/90-RASED CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS DERIVED FROM THE 1989/90 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.

THE CPL(A) 15

BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WHICH HAD EXPENDITURE OF $2,500-$9,999 A MONTH IN 1989/90.

PATTERN OF ABOUT 50% AN AVERAGE MONTHLY

/THE CPI(B)