P209 CEEFAX 209  Sun 22 Dec  22:44/01
    
    
    -,,% 
                                        
 A potential spending boom in 1986 may  
 lead to higher imports, according to a 
 report from a group of economists.     
                                        
 The group - known as the Item Club -   
 uses the same economic "model" as the  
 Treasury, and predicts a spending boom 
 because of low inflation, higher wages 
 and likely tax cuts in the next Budget.
                                        
 But the strength of the pound makes    
 foreign goods relatively less expensive
 and may lead to a surge in imports,    
 predicts the Club.                     
                                        
 This could hit the competitiveness of  
 British-made goods, the report says.   
                                        
   News index 102/202  Newsreel 119/219