U.S. representative: Proposed stamp price increase would hurt many Americans

April 23 (UPI) -- A third proposed increase in U.S. Postal Service stamp prices in about a year would have a "disparate impact" on seniors and others already affected by inflation, a U.S. representative says.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday, strongly urged him to reconsider raising the price of USPS forever stamps to 73 cents from 68 cents.

"An 8% rise in the cost of stamps will have a disparate impact on those hit hardest by inflation, particularly senior citizens struggling to scrape by," Torres wrote.

"When you are living on a fixed income, ever dollar counts," he said. "When you find yourself at the wrong end of the digital divide, the Postal Service is not a luxury but a necessity."

He said the Postal Service is obligated to maintain affordable prices for low-income families with fixed incomes and don't have Internet access.

"I strongly urge the U.S. Postal Service to seriously reconsider price increases that would compound the impact of inflation and impose a financial burden on those who can least afford it," Torres said.

The proposed July 14 stamp price increase would raise the cost for mailing letters by 5 cents to 73 cents for 1-ounce letters and 69 cents for metered letters weighing up to an ounce. An additional ounce for single-piece letters would rise by 4 cents to 28 cents.

The cost to mail domestic postcards would rise by 3 cents to 56 cents and international postcards and letters by 10 cents to $1.65.

Torres said the price increases would be the third by USPS since July, but Postal Service officials say they are necessary.

"These price adjustments are needed to achieve the financial stability sought by the organization's Delivering for American10-year Plan," the Postal Service announced April 9. "USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world."

The cost to rent a Post Office box would remain unchanged, and the cost for postal insurance would decrease by 10%.

The Postal Regulatory Commission would have to approve the rate increases for the stamp prices to rise.

USPS officials in January raised stamp prices by about 2% due to "inflationary pressures."

The U.S. Postal Service office is an independent federal agency required to be self-financing, and it receives no federal tax money.