Q: Who gets the money we pay for special license plates? Does it go to the organizations they represent or Georgia’s general fund?
—Jeff Bunch, Alpharetta
A: Most of the money from specialty license plates goes to the state treasury, not the sponsoring programs, the AJC has reported. A new specialty plate costs $60, plus the $20 registration fee all car owners must pay ($80 total). A renewal can cost up to $55 ($35 fee, plus $20 registration). For example, state nongame conservation programs get $10 for each new wildlife plate and $10 for each renewal. The state treasury receives $49 from each new specialty tag sale and $25 from each renewal, according to the Department of Revenue's website. Specialty tag sales and renewals have decreased since Georgia introduced annual fees in legislation passed in 2010. Previously, the state charged a one-time fee of $25 for the most popular plates. A state audit showed money going to the program from sales and renewals of the breast cancer plate dropped from $950,000 in 2010 to $610,000 in 2011.
Q: You mentioned the National Do Not Call Registry in a recent Q&A on the News, but didn’t include how to add your phone numbers to the list. Can you do that?
—Elizabeth Clark, Marietta
A: You can register up to three of your home and cell numbers by calling 1-888-382-1222 or online at donotcall.gov. Your numbers will appear on the registry the next day and telemarketers have up to 31 days to remove your numbers from their call lists.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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