Why aren't fees going to their purpose? - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Why aren't fees going to their purpose?

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By Karen Cohilas - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) – The state is coming under fire for putting fees you pay directly into the general fund.

If you've bought tires recently, you probably remember you have to pay a one dollar disposal fee per tire.

State law says the money collected from that fee is supposed to pay to clean up illegal tire piles and dumps, but it's not.

Last year $6 million was collected from that fee, and it all went back into the state's coffers.

Dougherty County commissioner Lamar Hudgins sits on the Board of Managers for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.

He says the fees are really nothing more than taxes and aren't ending up where they were intended to be.

"All the counties are saying, if this is what you're going to do, let's call it what it is, a tax. Because a fee is generated for a specific purpose and if it's not going for that purpose, then it becomes a tax."

The ACCG says there are seven other similar fees you pay that aren't being directed in the right direction.

 

  • Click HERE to see the ACCG article 'When a Fee Becomes a Tax
  •  Click HERE to download a WORD document illustrating Georgia's hazardous Waste Trust Fund from 1993 to 2010

  • Prepaid E911 Collections 

 

Fiscal Year 2008

Fiscal year
2009 

Fiscal Year
2010

Fiscal Year
2011

 PY LATE PAYS

 

$10,169.00

$2,950.74

 $648,438.93

July

$493,167.47

$688,391.69

$695,373.25

 $649,662.101

August

$505,497.89

$675,148.32

$710,647.93

 

Sept

$504,788.97

$664,218.15

$696,757.78

 

October

$534,179.67

$688,321.66

$702,531.84

 

November

$544,107.42

$672,901.06

$575,288.15

 

Dec

$568,301.07

$705,041.34

$665,983.22

 

Jan

$615,222.58

$725,861.64

$692,350.14

 

Feb

$667,096.73

$775,239.99

$749,954.64

 

March

$636,830.12

$772,077.96

$715,843.15

 

April

$637,779.10

$745,628.99

$679,127.29

 

May

$631,589.21

$732,662.61

$1,250,771.97

 

June

$683,644.97

$736,315.14

$712,043.07

 

July

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Total

 $7,022,205.20

$8,591,977.55 

$8,849,623.17

 $8,849,623.17


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