MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina inflation in April was 0.7%, according to the official stats office

Clothing and education were the items with the highest increases

Argentina’s Consumer Price Index was up 0.7% in April and 3.1% in the first four months of the year according to the official stats office, Indec. Clothing, education, transport and communications were the items which experienced the strongest increase over March.

Clothing was up 2.5%; education, 1.2% and transport and communications, 1.1% while food and beverage climbed 0.3%, based in the Indec release for April.

This latest index is less than half the Congressional inflation index for April, 1.52% which was released on Tuesday by the opposition members from the Freedom of Expression committee.

In the last twelve months the Congressional index registers a hike of 23.67%.

This index is an average from private economic consultants that have been threatened and fined for disclosing this information by the Cristina Fernandez administration allegedly for violation of domestic trade legislation.

An appeals court this week through out the fines and rejected the government’s arguments.

The Congressional index and not Indec is used as reference in court sentencing, in salaries discussions with unions and in other activities.

Likewise Indec wholesale prices climbed 0.9% in April, accumulating 4.1% so far this year and 12.9% in the last twelve months.

Based on the information from Indec, an Argentine family with two children ceases to be categorized as indigent if they have a monthly income of 725.97 Pesos equivalent approx to 140 dollars at the official exchange but just 80 dollars in the ‘blue’ or parallel market.

Households making over 1.655 Pesos a month (315 or 183 dollars according to the two markets) are considered to be above the poverty line, for Indec.