does the base year change 
for purposes of calculating inflation the base year does change the base year changes to adjust for changes in the economy over time when that happens all the information is recalculated back to the new base year for consistent reporting the bottom linewithout a basis for comparison data points won t be able to provide meaningful insight a basis point always needs to be selected changing the basis point would alter the meaning of the data as well known as the base effect understanding the base effect and the appropriate reference points to choose can help better understand data make adjustments and adjust policies 