Isle of Man: Brexit and fuel costs blamed for postal tariff hike

Letters will go up by 5p for the third consecutive year

An 8% hike in the price of sending post on the Isle of Man is needed to meet increasing costs, the Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) said.

The cost of sending a standard local and UK letter will rise by 5p to 67p from October.

Brexit, customs changes, increased fuel and aircraft charges, and the cost of onward delivery have all been blamed.

"The island is still the best value of all [the] Crown Dependencies," said Post Office chairman Julie Edge MHK.

"A lot of people do not appreciate the cost of getting mail off the island, and I think the fact our prices are lower than Guernsey and Jersey is proof we work hard to keep our prices competitive."

'Profitable'

Tariff changes are usually introduced by the IOMPO in the spring, but bosses delayed this year's announcement due to the "uncertainty of Covid-19, and to support residents and businesses".

It follows 5p rises introduced in 2019, and 2020.

A rise in parcel deliveries over the pandemic has helped move the IOMPO back into a profitable position, according to Ms Edge, who said the market for letters had continued to decline.

There will no increase in prices for collections, accelerated delivery services, PO boxes and mail redirection.

The post office is in the midst of a five-year strategy to become financially viable. Those plans were approved by Tynwald in 2019.