Sir, – So, without any major publicity campaign An Post has again imposed an annual increase on postage rates, with effect from Thursday last.
These postage increases used to take place every few years, but now they are an annual exercise every July, with seemingly little regard for the impact on businesses, voluntary clubs and organisations, and on individuals, ignoring altogether the basic fact of economics, that the more postage increases, the less the facility is used.
To impose another annual postage increase as we struggle to emerge from the recession is little short of reckless.
For the uninitiated, the minimum cost of posting a letter or card to anywhere in Ireland has now increased from 70 cent to 72 cent, while the minimum postage to anywhere outside Ireland has increased from €1.05 to €1.10 – a sure way to stamp out availing of anything other than the most essential postal services.
– Yours, etc,
JAMES WIMS
Mullingar,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – It is the ambition of the State to remove 1 cent and 2 cent from circulation. How strange is it then that a semi-State body – An Post – will introduce a price rise which means dealing with the above coins inevitable!
Worse, on being questioned, An Post lays the blame firmly on Comreg for dictating upper limit price rises. Comreg states it has no remit whatsoever in the cost of stamps. The Department of Communications states it has nothing to do with it. It is obvious nobody thought out the coin conundrum beforehand.
Over to you Minister. Knock a few heads together and let common sense be seen to prevail. – Yours, etc,
FERGUS MORONEY
Castlegregory,
Co Kerry.