Union finance ministry and postal department should make it clear if service tax is applicable only on Speed Post mail or all other postal-tariffs, because postal receipt for Speed-Post mentions separately service tax charged with postal tariff, while similar acknowledgement receipt for Registered Post does not mention about any such service charge.
It is senseless to have dual policy for levying service charge for items sent by Speed Post and by other postal-services. Service tax should be levied on all postal-services, or it should not be levied even on Speed-Post.
In
Focus
Postal department has developed a wrong habit of ignoring useful suggestions of interest for both the department and its users. It is losing a lot because of great irrationality in fixing tariffs of Speed Post and Foreign Mail. Speed Post tariffs should cost Rs 20 or 25 (inclusive of service tax) both for local and non local delivery and have equal tariff rise for every 50 grams. Present tariff structure deprives the department of extra revenue where there are slabs when articles mailed by ordinary post cost much higher than sent by fast and reliable Speed Post.
Great irrationality in imposing air surcharge for every twenty grams on highly haphazard and irrational sea mail tariffs in case of foreign mail at several slabs results in a funny situation where an item mailed in two parts costs much less than if sent as one item. This irrationality can and should be removed by fixing air and sea mail tariffs independent of each other.
Air mail tariffs should be fixed for equal tariff rise for every 20 gms or part abolishing practice of separately imposing air surcharge, while sea mail tariffs may be fixed for equal tariff rise for every 50 gms or part. All inland and foreign mail tariffs should be in multiples of rupees five except in case of sponsored meghdoot post card which may be priced at rupees one, abolishing all other types of post-cards.
Inland Letter Card having lost popularity should be removed from the system. System of fixation of postal tariffs should be so revised that beauty of commemorative stamps may be used for all types of postal services including Speed Post.
