Accounting For Laws That Apply Differently To The United States Postal Service And Its Private Competitors
Accounting For Laws That Apply Differently To The United States Postal Service And Its Private Competitors
Read MoreTag: Mail Services
Botswana: Postal Policy Should Glean From Neighbours – Minister
A recent postal policy consultative conference resolved that a tenable postal sector policy is what the people of Botswana need now.
This decision by stakeholders at the conference was arrived at after it was discovered that Botswana does not have a specific postal sector policy that takes into account developments in the postal sector worldwide and in the country itself.
According to a statement from BotswanaPost, “for this reason, some developments have occurred without guidance from (a) sector policy, causing increasing problems on the continued provision of universal postal services and upgrading of the provision of commercial postal services.”
The meeting, which brought together chiefs from all over the country, business people and courier services providers, among others, was also seen as an opportunity by BotswanaPost to relay to the people the findings of a consultant who was tasked with coming up with a legal and regulatory framework, a postal sector policy, a postal strategy and business planning.
According to the consultant, Hans Kok of Hans Kok Business Consult BV in Holland, the Botswana Postal Services Act Number 22 of 1989 has little value for current practices because it deals mainly with corporate powers of BotswanaPost and not with policy issues.
Hans also argued that with more postal operators, there was need for regulation, hence a new policy was urgently needed to address all relevant topics of today’s postal market in Botswana.
Read MorePostcomm rejects Royal Mail's retail zonal pricing application (UK)
Postcomm has rejected Royal Mail’s application to charge large mailers – using products which are not part of the universal service – different prices depending on where in the UK their mail is delivered (Royal Mail calls this zonal pricing).
The reasons for this decision are broadly that Postcomm is not satisfied that the change would be introduced in a manner which avoids unreasonable changes to users, and because it involves discrimination.
Postcomm has made this brief announcement today to provide clarity to users of postal services and will publish full reasons for its decision in January 2008.
This decision does not mean that Postcomm is ruling out any future moves towards retail zonal pricing for products outside the universal service should Royal Mail propose an alternative approach that avoids the problems presented by the current application. Postcomm is generally supportive of pricing that is more reflective of costs.
Royal Mail’s ‘zonal pricing’ application did not include services paid for by stamps or those bulk mail products that are included within the definition of the universal service which must, under the Postal Services Act, remain priced at a uniform rate regardless of delivery zone across the country. It is open to Royal Mail to submit a new application if it can be framed to meet the relevant regulatory tests.
Read MorePost Office networks abroad – Executive Summary
Post Office networks abroad
Read MoreAustria's state holding company OeIAG may propose the sale of shares in Telekom Austria and in Austrian Post
Austria’s state holding company OeIAG may propose the sale of shares in Telekom Austria and in Austrian Post, its head was quoted as saying on Friday.
OeIAG Chief Executive Peter Michaelis said in an interview with daily newspaper Der Standard he would recommend selling some shares if Telekom Austria continued with share buybacks which have the effect of increasing OeIAG’s stake.
Telekom Austria cancelled repurchased shares earlier this year, which led to an increase in OeIAG’s stake to 27 percent from 25 percent.
“If there are further steps in this direction and OeIAG’s stake is moving towards 30 percent, then capital markets would not appreciate the rise,” Michaelis said.
“That would be a classical example where I would tell the government that we should part with 3 or 4 percent,” he said.
Michaelis said Austrian Post needed a period of consolidation after a string of takeovers in Germany and central Europe. After that, another share sale by OeIAG could be envisaged, he said. OeIAG owns 51 percent of Austrian Post.
OeIAG holds the Austrian government’s stakes in Telekom Austria, Austrian Post, oil and gas group OMV and Austrian Airlines. It has no mandate to sell shares as Austria’s current government is split on privatisation policy. (Reporting by Boris Groendahl; Editing by David Holmes)
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