Download Free Opportunities To Improve The Postal Ratemaking Process Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Opportunities To Improve The Postal Ratemaking Process and write the review.

Opportunities To Improve the Postal Ratemaking Process
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.
In 1999, the congressionally requested Data Quality Study (the Study) found opportunities to improve ratemaking data quality. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) agreed to make improvements, but concerns remained that it is still unclear, from an overall perspective, what actions USPS has taken to improve data quality. Ratemaking data quality has also factored into congressional deliberations to reform postal laws. Thus, questions remain about USPS's actions to improve ratemaking data quality and how proposed legislation will address long-standing issues in this area. GAO was asked to (1) describe key USPS actions that were responsive to the Study to improve the quality of ratemaking data and (2) discuss possible implications of postal reform legislation for ratemaking data quality. GAO did not assess the extent to which USPS's actions affected data quality. In its comments, USPS disagreed with GAO's finding on the need to reform the ratemaking structure. USPS also differed on GAO's finding that the legislation would likely lead to improving ratemaking data quality. It said "breakthrough improvements" would be unlikely without a significant increase in costs. GAO believes reform of the ratemaking structure is needed, but the outcome would depend on its implementation. Further, the legislative changes would likely lead to data quality improvements over time and at some cost.
GAO examined the U.S. Postal Service's proposals for modifying the postal ratemaking process, focusing on: (1) how the current ratemaking process could be improved; and (2) the effects of the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act on postal rates. GAO found that: (1) the Postal Service has petitioned the Postal Rate Commission to give it more flexibility in pricing postal products and establish a market-based mail classification schedule; (2) new Postal Service pricing mechanisms could minimize mail volume losses and keep rates lower for most mail classes; (3) Congress may have to clarify the 1970 ratemaking criteria because the Postal Service and Commission disagree on the extent that market forces impact postal rates; (4) postal ratemaking usually takes 10 months to complete and it does not include the time the Postal Service spends preparing rate cases and appeals; (5) proposed postal ratemaking reforms include developing accelerated procedures for market testing new products, establishing rate bands for competitive products, and allowing volume-based rates for high volume shippers; and (6) the Postal Service needs to be able to control labor costs and resolve workforce issues to remain competitive in the postal marketplace.