Why everything still costs so much - and there could be worse to come

Butter is becoming a luxury item. Rents 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 around 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 starting on June 1st. 

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 start to bite. 

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? Or could it be that those price rises might reverse? 

Irish Times consumer correspondent Conor Pope explains why prices 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. 

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