Remember back on June 12, 2011, when Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed the renewal of a 4-cent cigarette tax that would have cost the state $48 million per year had the legislature, and subsequently the voters, not passed a constitutional amendment to continue the tax?
Remember how Jindal justified the veto by saying he was opposed to any new taxes even though the bill was for the continuation of an existing tax?
Remember how Jindal consistently expressed his opposition to new taxes but had no problem with colleges and universities raising tuition to partially offset drastic budgetary cuts because the increase was a “fee,” not a tax?
Remember how Jindal has continued to voice his opposition to new taxes while at the same time insisting that the privatization of everything but bathroom breaks and performance reviews for state employees would save the state money? (And don’t count those out just yet.)
Well, how about the privatization (okay, the partial privatization) of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that allows drivers to renew their licenses at one of 108 offices which contract with the state to perform some DMV functions—at an additional charge of $18 over and above the regular $21.50 cost? Employing Jindal’s logic, the $18 is not a new tax, but a surcharge for convenience.
Not much of a savings there, at least from the perspective of those among the 2.9 million motorists in Louisiana who would be popped with the additional fee if they chose a private agent to renew their license.
A Baton Rouge Advocate story on Tuesday (Feb. 18) said the experimental plan has been operational in Metairie and Slidell and is expected in Baton Rouge soon. A Baton Rouge acquaintance, however, says he already encountered the $18 additional fee—a total of $39.50 months ago at one of the privatized kiosks—in Baton Rouge—and opted not to pay in favor of going the traditional route at a state DMV office for the $21.50.
And get this: not a single DMV employee has been laid off. Nor are there any plans to do so, according to State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson, who calls the private agents “a convenience.”
So where’s the savings in all of this?
A report by the legislative auditor says the program has “saved” the state a minimum of $3.3 million per year but to us it only appears that the new tax…er, fee, has generated an additional $3.3 million for the state. There is a huge difference between generating new revenue and saving money.
If, for example, I purchased a snow blower for the recent Louisiana blizzard of ’14 at a cost of $500 and while it was still in the box, unused because our snowdrifts didn’t justify hauling it out and assembling it, decided to sell it to some poor sucker for $750, have I saved $250 or generated an additional $250 to pay on my maxed-out Visa card?
Well, if you’re like our friend who refused to play the game, there is that $18 savings he realized by staying with the state-run DMV office.
I knew about the offices who do this work, do you really think he would do that…full privatization of the DMV? Did you every drive by there and see the number of cars parked at any of those offices? He needs to go!
More Bobby BS! He hurting us all: college students, parents, seniors, and especially the poor. He never mentions these actions in his speeches to our-of-state audiences.
Tom, wasn’t there a previous round where they did lay off a number of DMV employees? My understanding was that’s why lines at some of the bigger DMV offices are growing longer and longer.
The licensing of drivers in the state, the issuance of new or replacement tags and such are properly the duty of the state. Not having enough employees to do these things in a timely manner and then offering an alternative at a higher cost is not the solution. Of course, just my opinion here.
Not just your driver’s license subject to the “convenience” fee! Also renewing your registration if not done on line is subject to that “convenience ” fee. I went to the DMV office at the corner of Perkins Road and Siegen Lane. They wanted $76! Since I neglected doing it in time to be certain the sticker would arrive by the 1/31 deadline, I was forced to go to Independence Blvd., not a terrible chore for a retiree with an ereader. (And I only paid $56 there. But this is just another example of Booby Jihad’s contempt for those of us who foot the bills.
And the term “convenience fee” is ridiculous. It was convenient to go to your neighborhood DMV office of kiosk before privatization; now, why is going to that same office any more or less convenient than previously? It’s only “convenient” for the state coffers.
Does anyone have an example of where privatization of anything in Louisiana has worked out better for the public? I am not being sarcastic, I really want to know because I’m not aware of anything.