Government Watchdog Group Slams Proposed USPS Stamp Hike

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) slammed the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for proposing yet another price increase for First-Class Forever stamps. On April 9, the USPS proposed hiking stamp prices from 68 to 73 cents, a 7.4 percent increase. If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the changes will take effect on July 14. This would be the sixth stamp price increase since December 2020. 

TPA President David Williams criticized the USPS, noting, “It’s hard to keep track of constantly-increasing stamp prices. In January, the USPS hiked the price of Forever stamps from 66 cents to 68 cents. The agency had raised prices just six months earlier (in July 2023), from 63 cents to 66 cents. And, six months before that (January 2023), stamp prices increased from 60 cents to 63 cents. America’s mail carrier cannot keep bilking taxpayers and consumers forever.”

Williams continued, “Postal bureaucrats assume that, even if the agency continues to hike prices, consumers will have no choice but to keep buying stamps at inflated rates. They are wrong. In the age of the World Wide Web, switching away from high-priced stamps is easier than the USPS would like to believe. Consumers can and will choose to stop buying stamps, causing the agency to loose even more money. USPS also believes postage increases will help stabilize the agency.  With a $6.5 billion net loss in fiscal year 2023, the USPS’ finances continue to deteriorate despite the stamp price increases.  This increase will also alienate more consumers.”

Williams concluded, “It is time for the USPS to embrace a new approach. Instead of endless price hikes, America’s mail carrier must cut costs and ensure that all products are covering their delivery expenses. The right reforms without stamp price hikes can get the agency back on firmer fiscal footing.”