U.S. calls foreign mail system unfair in surprise win for Amazon
(Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday said it would push for foreign postal carriers to pay the U.S. Postal Service more to deliver small parcels within the United States, taking up a longtime complaint by Amazon.com, UPS and others who have called the current system unfair.
FILE PHOTO: A UPS worker carries an Amazon box to be delivered in New York, U.S., July 24, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
The State Department also said it would push other countries to furnish data to help customs officials detect illegal shipments entering the United States via the international mail system. The department’s statement follows a Thursday memo by U.S. President Donald Trump, which said the system of “terminal dues,” or money paid to a postal service for finishing the delivery of mail from other countries, unfairly favors foreign mailers over domestic ones, a position that major U.S. shippers have held for years.
Amazon.com Inc and United Parcel Service Inc did not immediately return a request for comment.
Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by David Gregorio
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