Sydney (AFP) – Australia joined on Tuesday a string of countries suspending some postal deliveries to the United States, citing a “complex and rapidly evolving situation” with US President Donald Trump’s looming tariffs. Australia Post said most goods being sent to the United States and Puerto Rico would no longer be accepted “until further notice”. Gifts with a value of less than US$100, letters, and documents were exempt from the suspension.
The move follows similar steps taken by other postal services and mail carriers including in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, and New Zealand. Japan also announced that US-bound individual gifts worth more than $100 and goods for sale would no longer be accepted from Wednesday. Taiwan said it will stop sending merchandise-type mail to the United States from Tuesday.
The Trump administration has said that as of August 29 it will abolish a tax exemption on small packages entering the United States. Australia Post executive general manager Gary Starr said the company was focused on providing “a reliable and competitive postal service for customers”.
“We are disappointed we have had to take this action, however, due to the complex and rapidly evolving situation, a temporary partial suspension has been necessary to allow us to develop and implement a workable solution for our customers.”
© 2024 AFP
