President Donald Trump is again attacking online retailer Amazon.com, calling its business deal with the US Postal Service to deliver packages a money-losing agreement that hurts US taxpayers.
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Federal regulators, however, have found the contract with Amazon to be profitable.
In tweets on Saturday, Trump said "the US Post Office will lose $1.50 on average for each package it delivers for Amazon. That amounts to Billions of Dollars."
He added: "If the P.O. 'increased its parcel rates, Amazon's shipping costs would rise by $2.6 Billion.' This Post Office scam must stop. Amazon must pay real costs (and taxes) now!"
Amazon has been a consistent recipient of Trump's ire. He is sore because its founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post, which Trump has labelled "fake news" after the newspaper reported unfavourable developments during his campaign and presidency.
Trump made the link himself in Saturday's tweets, accusing Amazon of using the "Fake Washington Post" as a lobbyist. The Post and Bezos have responded to Trump's lobbyist claims in the past by declaring that Bezos is not involved in any journalistic decisions at the paper.
Amazon lives and dies by shipping, and an increase in the rates it pays could certainly do some damage. Amazon sends packages via the post office, FedEx, UPS and other services.
But while the US Postal Service has lost money for 11 years, package delivery, which has been a bright spot for the service, is not the reason.
Boosted by e-commerce, the Postal Service has enjoyed double-digit increases in revenue from delivering packages but that hasn't been enough to offset pension and healthcare costs as well as declines in first-class letters and marketing mail. Together, letters and marketing mail make up more than two-thirds of postal revenue.
In arguing that the Postal Service is losing money on delivering packages for Amazon, Trump appears to be citing some Wall Street analyses that argue the Postal Service's formula for calculating its costs is outdated.
A 2017 analysis by Citigroup did conclude that the Postal Service was charging below market rates as a whole on parcels. Still, federal regulators have reviewed the Amazon contract with the Postal Service each year and determined it to be profitable.
A spokesman for the US Postal Service declined to comment. An independent agency, it does not use taxpayer money for its operations.
Amazon has taken some steps towards becoming more self-reliant in shipping. Last year, it announced it would build a worldwide air cargo hub in Kentucky, about 20km southwest of Cincinnati.
Australian Associated Press
