Axing coppers '˜will not push up inflation, say BoE economists

In a Bank of England blog post on Wednesday, two analysts said their research and the “overwhelming weight of literature and experience” suggests that retiring 1p and 2p coins would have “no significant impact on prices”.

The authors - Marilena Angeli and Jack Meaning - argue fears over the rounding up of prices are overdone, given that doing away with low denomination coins would only affect cash payments, and even then would likely see prices rounded up at the total bill level, not individual items.

“Even if individual prices were rounded on all payments, analysis of UK price data suggests no economically significant impact on inflation,” they wrote.

They calculate that even if retailers round up all prices to the nearest 5p, inflation would only be pushed up by 0.07%.