What Did the Leader of the Disadvantaged Do with People’s Livelihood?
The Statistical Center has published the average prices of selected food items in urban areas in its latest report, a report that has intensified concerns about the living conditions of people and indicates an unprecedented decline in the level of social welfare over the past 10 years.
The release of the inflation report for July 2022 sounded the alarm for economists. The inflation statistics for the first month of summer indicated a record-breaking point-to-point inflation rate in the past decade. This comes while about a year has passed since the government of Ebrahim Raisi took office, and the point-to-point inflation rate in July has surpassed 54%. However, a closer look at the details of the recent report indicates the worsening of living conditions among low-income groups.
Inflation of Food Items and the Livelihood of Low-Income Groups
According to the new report by the Statistical Center of Iran in July 2022, the prices of 53 selected food items were published, indicating very concerning information. Out of these items, 34 had an inflation rate higher than the point-to-point inflation rate of 52.8% in urban areas. This fact reflects the widespread impacts of implementing the plan to remove the 42,000-rial exchange rate for essential goods, which the government of Ebrahim Raisi has put on its agenda.
Disaster at People’s Tables
Among the 53 selected food items, the highest price increases were related to liquid oil, solid oil, Iranian rice, potatoes, and pasta, respectively. Items like canned tuna, watermelon, carbonated drinks, and carrots recorded the least price jumps in July 2022 compared to the same period last year. Studies show, for example, that the price of liquid oil in July 2022 increased by more than 327% compared to the same period last year. A look at the table of price fluctuations reveals a widespread jump among carbohydrate-containing food items, which are mainly used by low-income groups. For instance, items like Iranian rice, potatoes, and pasta experienced price increases of 188%, 173%, and 166%, respectively, compared to the same period last year under Rouhani’s government. This indicates that low-income groups are affected, as starchy foods are primarily used by the lower deciles of society due to their lower prices compared to protein foods. In fact, the recent report by the Statistical Center indicates unprecedented damage from the economic policies of Ebrahim Raisi’s government to the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. This is while Raisi had promised that the removal of preferential exchange rates would only lead to price increases for four items, but time has shown that the thirteenth government, with its unprepared and hasty actions, has caused unprecedented inflation records in the country. As mentioned, the more worrying point is that the cost of the thirteenth government’s unexpert economic adventures has fallen mostly on the shoulders of the disadvantaged, whom Raisi has always claimed to support.