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The basic surface letter and printed paper rates to China, Taiwan and Macau will be $1.50 and $1.30 respectively, while those to other countries will be $2.30 and $2.10 respectively.
The minimum airmail rates for Zone 1 and Zone 2 will be $2.10 and $2.60 respectively. Aerogrammes will cost $2.10 each.
Registration fee will be $13.00. Details of other revised postal charges can be obtained at branch post offices or by telephoning the Post Office Enquiry Bureau on tel 2921 2222.
Mr Pagliari said the revision aimed to restore the real value of postage charges which had not been increased since the last postage rate adjustment in November 1993.
The overall weighted average increase for the postage rates was 14.7 per cent which was in line with the inflation for the past one-and-a-half years.
The postage rates revision would have minimal effect on inflation given that postage constituted only a small proportion of overall consumer expenditure.
Mr Pagliari further announced that, to tie in with the postage revision, three new types of stamp booklets would be available on sale at all 7-Eleven Convenience Stores throughout the territory as from Thursday (June 1).
The stamp booklets, each containing 10 pieces of $1.2, $2.1 or $2.6 definitive stamps, are sold at $12, $21 and $26 respectively.
The stamps represent the most widely used denominations for the posting of local and airmail letters at the initial weight steps of 30 grammes and 10 grammes respectively when the revised postage rates come into effect on Thursday.
The arrangement for selling stamp booklets at 7-Eleven Convenience Stores has been introduced since December 1993 and is part of the service improvement initiatives taken by the Post Office.
It provides much greater convenience to the public as there are about 300 additional outlets for them to purchase stamps at any hour of the day.
A hand-back service will be provided at all post offices on June 1 to all official and privately made covers bearing the first day of issue indication.
End/Tuesday, May 30, 1995
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