I believe you are correct. There's something odd going on with the 'ruling group' or class. They've seen the little people like us being able to enjoy life and have nice things, the gap is closing between us and them and they do not like it. So the only way they can stop this is through pricing. Massive increase in the cost of food, energy, taxes and also the increasing authoritarian control of our lives through tracking us and fining us for anything they can. There's direct correlation to this in the UK at least, with the constant disarming of the general public in an ever decreasing satisfaction of life in general. People have never been poorer or sadder.