The electricity tariff cut lowered the index by 0.45%, so if one takes away the one-off effect of this cut, and maintaining all other items the same, the price index would have reached 1.13% higher month over month, or a whopping 14.44% annualized.

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But many families can wring even more tax savings from a 529 by investing it all along in taxable bonds--whose interest would otherwise be taxed at a federal rate of up to 40% (including the effect of an itemized deduction clawback)--and holding index funds or individual stocks in their taxable accounts, says Yale School of Management professor Matthew Spiegel.

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The compromise legislation includes a procedural trigger so that the provisions only go into effect if the economy continues its recovery, using the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Coincident index, which is a measure of New York City's economic strength.

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"The formula effect generally, and particularly in the case of clothing, is dependent not just on the choice of index but also on the characteristics of the price movements and levels being measured, sample design, choice of base period and price collection methods, " said its spokeswoman Jill Leyland.

BBC: Inflation: No change to RPI calculation

Some volunteers also dropped out, most of whom had higher body mass index on average, which may also skew the results toward a beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet, since the individuals who remained might have been more motivated to take care of their hearts to begin with.

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In effect, Ms Matheson has decided to put them - and the historical integrity of the index - before anything else.

BBC: The ONS puts consistency first