>>60506195
The cost of living crisis has a direct correlation with government spending as percentage of GDP, which we have seen balloon (doubling and even tripling) all across the OECD countries these last 20 years. Government budgets have increased substantially, and as a result so have the taxes, but instead of taxing your income directly, they now do it in more "round about" ways like property taxes, VAT taxes, toll booths and other "flat fees" etc. The unfortunate side effect from that is that it disproportionately hits the poor and middleclass (and younger people).