Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s private advisory panel on the state-run postal services agreed Tuesday to propose three options for privatizing the services in the future in its final report to be compiled in early September.
Read MoreInaugural president chosen for his private-sector track record The Asahi Shimbun Masaharu Ikuta, a 67-year-old shipping line executive, will be the first president of the new public corporation that takes over the nation’s postal services in April, the government said Monday
Ikuta is currently chairman of Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. and vice chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai)Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Toranosuke Katayama intentionally chose someone with a proven track record in the private sector
“I wanted to appoint him because, rather than having a bureaucratic background, he is a private sector executive,” Koizumi said of the appointment
European sources have reported that “the Polish post office (Poczta Polska) has been ordered by the anti-monopoly watchdog to pay a ZL50,000 fine in relation to excessive additional charges paid for particular elements of its corporate parcel services. The ruling relates to PP’s practice of allowing companies to send parcels and letters on “credit” instead of with actual stamps – settling accounts usually on a monthly basis. By charging up to 20 percent of the original price for each package/letter, PP, says the antimonopoly office, was abusing its dominant position on the Polish market”
Read MoreUPS (NYSE:UPS) has launched a new ocean option for shippers who manufacture goods in China and Brazil and import into the United States. The new service dramatically speeds the movement of ocean-transported goods by minimizing stops on land.
The new service, UPS Trade Directsm Ocean, transforms ocean-containers into pre-labeled small packages or less-than-truckload shipments. Shipments move from the ports to nearby UPS freight facilities with minimal handling, processing and storage.
UPS Trade Direct Ocean, operated by UPS Freight Services, is the latest integrated service in UPS’s growing portfolio of transportation and logistics options that enable global commerce and simplify international trade for customers. This contractual service is ideal for large apparel, sporting goods, electronics and other companies that utilize ocean as an economical transport mode and want order delivery direct to their customers.
In a long-awaited agreement, United Parcel Service and the Internal Revenue Service have reached what the nation’s largest transportation company calls a “tentative basis” for settlement of a $2.353 billion tax dispute dating back to 1984.
The case involves billions of dollars in revenue UPS received from shippers who bought excess value package insurance. The IRS has claimed that income was shielded by UPS for tax benefits.
The income was funneled through a Bermuda-based company called Overseas Partners Ltd. UPS already has paid a “tax assessment charge” of $1.786 billion to the IRS – $1.442 billion, after tax benefits – in an effort to stanch interest and penalties in the case.
I haven’t sent a letter through the post in years. My preferred choice of communication is the phone and SMS.
But I receive a lot of “snail mail” — bills, magazines, circulars and other such like. Conclusion: Business mail is good business for Pos Malaysia & Services Holdings Bhd.
Analysts have come to the same conclusion.
Magazine publishers are threatening to withdraw business from Royal Mail if the postal operator proceeds with plans to charge publishers according to the physical size of their titles. The Periodical Publishers’ Association’s postal committee has called an emergency committee meeting to consider alternative distribution methods, amid fears that the planned postal pricing regime could impose punitive costs on magazine owners.
Read More–Operating earnings for the six months ended June 30, 2002 were Skr 570 m (-253). The earnings improvement is attributable to the reversal of provisions previously made for future losses in the cashier network of Skr 916 m.
–The rollout of the new service network is proceeding according to plan. 55 of Posten’s 91 local areas have implemented the new service network.
–The Swedish Parliament has increased subsidies for cashier service to Skr 400 m. The EU Commission found the government subsidies in compliance with EU regulations, facilitating the reversal of Skr 916 m in provisions.
–The alliance with La Poste/DPD is proceeding according to plan. La Poste has become a 50% partner in Posten’s Polish subsidiary, Masterlink, which, in turn, has acquired the franchise rights to DPD (Direct Parcel Distribution) in Poland for the coming 15 years. Posten has also acquired the franchise rights to DPD in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the coming five years.
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