High food, gas prices drive up inflation
Photo credit: Getty Images | The high cost of tomatoes and other foods was up 3.8 percent from a year earlier. Gasoline prices soared 19 percent from February 2010. Across Long Island, sales tax receipts were down 4 percent. (Feb. 16, 2011)
Higher prices for gasoline, food and spring clothing helped drive up inflation 2.1 percent last month in the metropolitan area compared with a year earlier, according to a report released Thursday.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said prices grew the fastest year-over-year than at any time since May 2010, when they gained 2.2 percent in the 31-county region that includes Long Island.
Inflation...
