ATLANTA – Extra fees Georgia lawmakers imposed last year on lead-footed drivers and others to bolster low state revenues without politically risky tax increases are bringing in far less cash than projected, according to an Associated Press review.
The AP’s review of state data showed the fees on hospitals, court filings and even lobbyists have brought in tens of millions of dollars less than budget writers had counted on. The disappointing collections contributed to new Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision to lower the revenue estimate for the current fiscal year, effectively giving the already cash-strapped state less money to spend.
Alan Essig, of the nonpartisan Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said that fees generally are reliable sources of income but that some early estimates may have been too rosy.
“They’ll probably never live up to those very optimistic, early projections,” Essig said.
Among the biggest underachievers are fees on so-called super speeders, an initiative pushed by Deal’s predecessor, Sonny Perdue. Perdue’s idea was to slap reckless drivers with steep fines and funnel the cash to the state’s struggling network of trauma hospitals. Perdue had estimated the fees – which tack an additional $200 fine on drivers traveling well above the legal speed limits – would scoop up some $23 million. Instead it’s looking like they will bring in less than half that amount – or about $10.5 million. By the end of last year, just $4.7 million had been collected, according to state data provided to the AP.