Argentina’s postal service, state-owned Correo Argentino, has increased prices by between 25% and55% in its first rise in charges since 2003.
The German-language news service, argentinienaktuell.com, reported that the basic stampprice, for letters weighing below 20g, has risen by 33% from 0.75 pesos (EUR 0.18) to 1 peso (EUR0.24).
Registered letters weighing up to 150g are now 12 pesos (EUR 2.80 from EUR 1.79), a leap of55%; the basic express mail cost has risen by 45% to 16 pesos (EUR 3.82); and the price of documentmailings have increased by 37% to 28.50 pesos (EUR 6.82), provoking inflationary fears.
In a statement sent to news agencies, the company blamed the rises partly on a 20% salaryincrease for employees.
Correo Argentino had a turnover of 700 million pesos (EUR 167 million) in 2006 from handlingmore than 400 million mail items, said argentinienaktuell.com. But operating profit fell by 44% to18 million pesos (EUR 4.3 million) from 30 million pesos (EUR 7.17 million) in 2005.
