USPS Backs Off From Price-Hike Gambit

The U.S. Postal Service is apparently backing away from an attempt to use one-time payments to mailers as justification for permanent price increases.

As Dead Tree Edition reported last month, USPS proposed to offer large mailers a one-time “Technology Credit” and then to have those credits considered a price decrease for purposes of calculating its inflation-based rate cap. That would result in permanent price increases that would eventually cost mailers far more than the maximum $5,000 credit per mailer.

USPS clarified – or changed – its position this week in response to questions from PRC Chairman Ruth Goldway:

“Revenue forgone from the Technology Credit Promotion for each class of mail will be subtracted from revenue in calculating price cap authority in the upcoming annual price change, and then the same amount will be added back to revenue in calculating price cap authority in the subsequent annual price change,” USPS wrote. In other words, any price increases resulting from the Technology Credits would be temporary.

I’m told that postal officials have claimed during a meeting with mailers that the Dead Tree Edition article misinterpreted the price-cap issue. But several private-sector postal experts have told me they agreed with my interpretation of the Postal Service’s original request, which said nothing about reversing the price increase. And Goldway apparently agreed as well.

“The Postal Service appears to propose the creation of permanent price cap authority,” Goldway wrote to USPS last week. “However, the Technology Credit Promotion is proposed as a temporary, one-time offer. How does the Postal Service intend to reflect the expiration of the Technology Credit Promotion in subsequent . . . rate adjustments?”

The PRC’s Public Representative staff had a similar interpretation, warning the commission about “the danger of creating permanent price cap authority from temporary price reductions” because that could lead to “price cap avoidance tactics.”

USPS estimates it will pay out $61.6 million (down from the original $66 million estimate) in Technology Credits to major mailers that use the Full-Service barcodes during the 12 months that begin June 1. Both Goldway and the Public Representative noted that USPS’s original filing did not show how the payouts were calculated.

In fact, the Public Representative indicated that USPS tried to game the system by presenting “bare bones initial filings without the data necessary to evaluate its request,” making it difficult for anyone to challenge the proposal before the PRC must decide the case.

The Postal Service has already admitted to significant math errors in that initial filing. It now estimates the potential price increase for Standard mail will be 0.231% instead of 0.158% and for Periodicals will be 0.165% instead of 0.244%. It also tweaked the estimated increases for First-Class Mail (0.084%) and Package Services (0.015%).

Because the PRC is requesting so much additional information from USPS on the proposal, it has extended the deadline for commenting until May 17.