Letter to the Editor: Old facts mislead fee office revenue picture

Mr. Smith wrote that offices "can generate nearly $1 million in transaction fees each year." This is utterly false. Not a single contract office collects transaction fees near $1 million. The fiscal 2005 report shows the former state-ran branch office in Springfield used to collect nearly $1 million in transaction fees when it was run by the state, but Springfield now has three privately run offices. Hypothetically then, each Springfield office could collect about $330,000 in fees. Mr. Smith is using old information to create an impression that isn't real.

The transaction fees pay for operating costs such as rent, employee salaries and benefits, utilities, insurance, and office equipment and supplies. Only 32 offices collected more than $300,000 in transaction fees in fiscal 2005; 81 collected less than $100,000.

There are 183 contract offices in Missouri. I bet the 81 contract agents who collect less than $100,000 in transaction fees per year wish they'd collect nearly $1 million, but that doesn't happen. I hope Mr. Smith is interested in printing the real facts next time (‘Fee office reform plan sparks debate’).

Our contract agents collect state revenue and pick up more expenses from the state than ever before for a modest profit, if one at all.

–Trish Vincent

Director, Missouri Department of Revenue[[In-content Ad]]