Chunghwa Post is halting a plan to increase prices for domestic parcel and express mail deliveries, which were to go into effect on March 4, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday, adding that there was no new timeline for the plan.
Last week, the company had announced that delivery prices would increase by NT$10 for domestic parcels and NT$20 for express mail, after more than a decade of unchanged rates could no longer cover rising delivery costs.
However, in his first news conference since taking office, Lin said he had asked the company to stop the rate hike, as it could cause the cost of everyday items to rise.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“I have asked Chunghwa Post to recalculate delivery costs, because its business performance has been good. Halting plans for an increase in postage rates will not affect the company,” he said.
The company’s profits should be shared with the public, Lin added.
Chunghwa Post is transforming itself into a logistics firm, and should focus on expanding its market share and enhancing its competitiveness, he said.
Asked when the company would proceed with the increase, Lin said there was no definite timeline.
The company should consider the businesses that would be affected by an increase in postage rates, he said.
It should also consider how changes in government fees are linked to foreign-exchange rates, he said, adding that any state-run company should consider its decisions from the perspective of corporate governance and the general public.
“This Ministry of Transportation and Communications is of the people. It is not about what our policy would achieve. It is about what the people feel about the policy,” he said.
“To that end, the government and state-run firms all need to be socially responsible,” Lin added.
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