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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Catie McLeod and Jonathan Barrett

Did you buy a coffee machine with a tax refund? It may have affected Australia’s interest rate

A fridge, an airfryer, a coffee maker, a chair and a treadmill
‘The things that are driving the uptick in inflation … are housing, durable goods and market services,’ RBA governor Michele Bullock said last week Composite: Getty Images

One of the first things many Australians did last year after receiving a tax refund or a lower mortgage rate was to buy an armchair, an air fryer or a coffee machine.

The purchases, evident in company earnings published this week, came after households had endured years of high living costs – and consumption had been weak up until that point.

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