DID YOU KNOW...

...That the extra money you pay for specialty car tags may or may not go to the group or institution you are trying to fund or help.  Surprise! Surprise!  Would you believe that the State government has far different rules for allocating the money collected, depending upon whether it is a government agency tag or a civic or volunteer group tag.

For instance, the basic tag for most cars costs $20/yr. If you choose to buy a special State agency tag, such as a DNR non-game tag, a DOT flower tag,or an Agriculture Dog/Cat tag, the first year cost will be $45. Of this total, $24 of the extra $25 goes to the Agency fund that you have chosen. There is no extra charge in succeeding years, after you have purchased the metal tag.

This is hardly the case with Education, Civic and Volunteer Group tags such as University tags, Rotary Club Tags, Children’s Health Care tags, Boy Scout tags, or NRA tags (and many others). Depending on the category of tag selected, little if any of the money goes to the cause you are supporting. In addition, these tags are significantly more expensive initially, and cost extra every year thereafter.

First year cost for Education and Civic group tags such as University or Rotary Club tags is $70, with a cost of $45 for succeeding years. Of this money, all funds go to the State, with none going to the targeted organization or group.

First year cost for Volunteer group tags, such as Children’s Health Care, Boy Scouts, and NRA is $70, with a cost of $45 for succeeding years.  Of these totals, only $10 goes to the Group each year, with the rest going to the State.

Why should the money for these tags be handled any differently than State Agency tags? The purpose of the tags are as worthwhile or beneficial to the public as the Agency tags, therefore the majority of the extra money collected should go to the specified activity or group, as is the case with Agency tag money.

Going a step further in the wrong direction, the State DNR is blocking attempts by GONetwork, a sportsman organization, to have a tag approved to help fund their SEEDS program which provides opportunities for young people to experience outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, archery and shooting sports, such as skeet and trap. The State, so far, has blocked attempts to get the SEEDS tag approved, because they feel that it might reduce the money generated by their two non-game wildlife tags.

The State Wildlife Resources Department has identified a significant decline in hunters as one of their most critical problems, yet DNR is blocking attempts by the sportsman group to obtain funding to implement a program that would directly address the problem, simply because it might reduce funds, to an unknown degree, for their non-game program. I have no problem with the non-game tag, but if you are a sportsman interested in developing future support for hunting and fishing in Georgia, the SEEDS tag, with a more reasonable share of the tag money collected, would go a long way towards achieving this goal.

Both problems described above can be solved by contacting your State Representatives and Senators.

MONTE E. SEEHORN
Gainesville, GA