Local Fianna Fáil councillor, Aengus O’Rourke, has slammed the decision to increase the cost of a postage stamp.
Cllr O’Rourke says the timing of the increase could not be any worse given the still fragile economic climate businesses continue to operate in, and the host of other expenses they are already forced to incur.
“This is the wrong time for businesses to swallow a another double-digit increase in the cost of a postage stamp,” he said. “It is another blow for businesses already over-burdened with inflated service and local authority costs. Businesses in provincial Ireland are still operating in a very fragile economic environment.
“Businesses will not survive in circumstances that see them having to continually suck up huge insurance premium increases, waste collection increases and now postage increases. This is on top of the fact that businesses in Ireland pay among the highest rates in Europe for electricity. Furthermore, in recent years we have seen an ever greater cost burden on businesses in terms of ever changing regulatory obligations in the area of, for example, HR and health and safety.
“In recent years we have been hit with regular and substantial postage cost increases. Only four years ago a stamp cost 55 cent, now we are potentially looking at a stamp costing 95 cent - a 73 per cent increase in four years. How can this be justified?
“The Government needs to realise that business may be booming in the city but in provincial Ireland many, many businesses are just about hanging on.”
