It is not what anyone would describe as a princely sum: £7.20 is the price of a couple of cups of coffee at Starbucks.
But £7.20 is also the figure that is spreading panic in boardrooms up and down the country.
It is, of course, the new government- mandated National Living Wage (NLW), and you can expect to hear a lot about it in the months ahead as its introduction in April draws nearer.
NLW is designed to make the poorest paid in society that little more comfortable in their day-to-day lives. That is obviously a good thing, but there are concerns NLW will result in an increase in firms going under, fewer new jobs being created in the long-term, higher prices for the consumer and major belt-tightening cutbacks.
My immediate reaction to the argument is that it is just posturing.
The current minimum wage rate for those aged 21 and over is £6.50 per hour and is due to rise to £6.70 per hour from next month.
For those aged 18 to 20 the level is set at £5.13 per hour, and £3.79 for under 18s, both of which will be revised upwards on October 1.
Now, mark my words, those increase will be swallowed by companies with the minimum of fuss.
But the introduction of NLW a rise that will only affect low earners over the age of 25 is already causing “shockwaves” in the market, according to recruitment firm Manpower.
The agency said it was already seeing evidence of firms drawing back on recruitment plans or refocusing towards a younger and, crucially, cheaper labour force.
The vast majority of those at the lower end of the wages scale work in service sector jobs. Retail, hospitality and the care sector are prime targets for NLW but there are growing fears that standards may slip as younger workers are placed in roles beyond their limited experience.
So, is an uplift of 50p an hour really enough to unsettle the economy?
Well Tim Martin of pub giant Wetherspoon not known for mincing his words thinks so.
Lord Wolfson, boss of high street fashion chain Next, thinks so.
And Andy Harrison, chief executive of Costa coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread, also thinks so.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but collectively these three people employ tens of thousands in the UK, so their opinions are worth listening to.
But still my gut instinct is that while there may be a lot of hand-wringing over the issue in the months to come, the actual introduction of NLW next year will go off without great incident.
Staff are the heart of businesses like Next, Costa and Wetherspoon’s,
And while firms may be facing higher costs, management are not daft enough to think there is no upside to improving the lot of their staff.
Generally, a better rewarded workforce is a more engaged workforce, and that is reflected in increased sales and profits.
In a competitive economic environment that is a very fine line to walk.
But in 12 months’ time, I suspect the row over NLW’s introduction will have faded to a very dull sound indeed.