Washington ? The Postal Service ended its fiscal year $2.8 billion in the red, battered by a faltering economy that cut the amount of mail being sent.

Postmaster General John Potter said the agency is making sharp cuts in hours and overtime but added there are no plans for layoffs. The mail being sent dropped by 9.5 billion items.

“We expect the new fiscal year to be another difficult one,” Potter said, adding: “We’re not panicking here.”

By cutting back on spending the post office had a net operating income of $2.7 billion in 2008, but still ended up in the red because of the requirement for a $5.6 billion payment to a health benefit fund for retirees.

Even so, the $2.8 billion loss was well short of last year’s $5.1 billion postal deficit.

The Postal Service does not receive a tax subsidy for its operations.