> So what did I do? I simply told him I would never give him a raise again.

It is true that salary have been always losing purchasing power but don't forget also that employees have compulsory raises. This comes from two sources: 1. minimum wage raises 2. believe it or not, unions negotiate with the gov the raises, those are called here "paritarias".

Everything is broken here, laws favor the employees always and that's why no one wants to start a business. When you talk with small businesses this is their number one fear.

Half of the population is convinced that business and owners are the devil, and that they need to die in fire.

And as for inflation, there is nothing to praise.