Just to underscore the point of how idiotic it is to abolish the licensing board for surveyors in Texas on the grounds that it is a net cost to the State to maintain it, here are the numbers that show that in fact the Texas BOR is a net revenue source from the additional fees (read: occupation taxes) that the legislature has required be collected from Texas surveyors.
III. Fiscal Aspects
A. The following amounts were appropriated and expended:
Year *Appropriated......Expended............ Revenue Collected
2004 $426,483...........$397,949............$1,000,206***
2005 $426,391...........$403,823............$1,003,078***
2006 $446,410...........$427,281............$1,075,704***
2007 $444,936...........$431,547............$1,107,972***
2008 $426,754...........$420,023............$1,129,460***
2009 $395,025...........$406,768............$1,117,513***
***Includes Professional Fees collected ($200 per registrant)
Source:
http://www.txls.state.tx.us/15_documents/strategic_plan_2011_2015.pdf
This is what i've found for fiscal year '09 under Administrative Code §1071.1521
General revenue fund_
Comptroller revenue code 3171:
number assessed: 2471
assessed: $150
collected: $370,560
School fund_
Comptroller revenue code 3171:
number assessed: 2471
assessed: $50
collected: $123,550
These aren't all the fees assessed, but it does show half a million dollars dedicated to the General and School funds.
> These aren't all the fees assessed, but it does show half a million dollars dedicated to the General and School funds.
No, they're not "fees". Call them what they are, they're occupation taxes that are being collected to help a certain mofo politician pretend that taxes aren't being raised.
Clearly this should be posted in "Politics/Religion"
😛
Kent, I believe this has been on the books for over seven years now. I guess if you wanted to rebel you could always add "occupation tax" in the memo line of the annual check you write the TBPLS.
Wendell has graciously supplied "politics and Religion"
A category wherein you might wish to continue your political vent. I mean "MOFO POLITICIAN" is about as inately political as one can get....
just sayin'
😛
> Kent, I believe this has been on the books for over seven years now. I guess if you wanted to rebel you could always add "occupation tax" in the memo line of the annual check you write the TBPLS.
Well, you can call it a "love gift" if you like, but it's a levy only on members of a particular profession as a conditiion of restoring their licenses and is a revenue to the state. I think correctly identifying it as an occupation tax is simply reality-based.
Yes, he did
> A category wherein you might wish to continue your political vent. I mean "MOFO POLITICIAN" is about as inately political as one can get....
Actually, the politician in question, a fellow whose hair looks like it just got out of the beauty parlor, distinguished himself by ending a remote interview with a Hispanic journalist by saying "adios, mofo," when he thought the feed was dead. It wasn't.
I agree that the topic of the clown car of Texas government with him and his freak show of fellow travelers is politics.
Yes, he did
I must admit, you nailed that hair thing Perry has going on, Mr. McMillan... My dad was personally acquainted with him back in his ag commissioner days and said that you wouldn't want to light up near him in an enclosed space for fear of a "vitalis bomb". BUT - Perry is the longest serving current U.S. governor in history so the vitalis must be like hillbilly catnip...
In the interest of fairness, I must say that I am personally acquainted with Frontera Resources and their business practices. Frontera Resources was headed up by Gov. Perry's opponent in the last election. Based on the business ethics demonstrated by Frontera Resources, if that is a reflection of Bill Whites ethics, we have elected the lesser of two weevils.
Yes, he did
Well, it was a choice between Governor "Good Hair" or Governor "No Hair"....
Yes, he did
So this is really an issue of "Hair Envy"......;-)
🙂
or
🙁
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, he did
> So this is really an issue of "Hair Envy"......;-)
>
> 🙂
Uh, no. The beauty parlor hair-do that the present governor sports needs a public restroom to hang out in.
Yes, he did
Kent-
You've done it again, proving "grass" (hair) does not grow on a busy street !
More seriously-
Is it possible for you to set out what fees a professional surveyor must pay in the
Republic ?
Are there additional fees that are optional ?
In Ontario we must pay: $1,000 membership license fee annually for Cadastral ($400 for the others such as Geodesy, Geographic Information Management, Photogrammetry, Hydrography)
For our annual Certificate of Authorization to allow public practice, tiz $500.
Then there is liability insurance $2,000 +/- on top that and is a "must have".
Local Regional Group ... up to $70.00 if one wishes.
One grinding thing we have here is that those in the Geodesy, Geographic Information Management, Photogrammetry, Hydrography) categories do not require licenses nor a certificate of registration to practice in Ontario.
It is 'optional'.
(Unfortunately, while I'd personally welcome you to practice in North Aboyne, the availability of the serene tumble weed and cactii strewn landscape is unavailable, but snow shoes are!)
YOS
Derek
PS- +5F this am ! Let Paul Coyne know.
Kent
Evidently, this little fact missed your radar, but I wonder if Prick Perry (oops, is that a Freudian slip) didn't get the fact that IF you are a surveyor working FOR the State of Texas, then those fees/love gifts/occupations taxes/renewal fees, are much less for that subset of our brethren.
It would seem that one of the easiest ways to help would be to "level the playing field" and make those surveyors pay the same exorbitant fees/love gifts/occupations taxes/renewal fees that the rest of us who don't work for the State of Texas have to pay.
My little personal rant about this particular issue.
Wow Derek
Those fee's are murder and obviously they are not inspiring youth to go out an get the proper credentials if they are "optional".
Spy Magazine used to have a feature they called "Log Rolling in Our Time", that cited examples of mutually admiring book jacket blurbs by pairs of authors. I used to think it was surprising how many pairs of mutual admirers they could find to keep the feature going for as many issues as they did.
“Gov. Perry’s efforts have enabled the surveying community to better serve the public by attaining high technical and ethical surveying standards,” said Bob Seipel, SURPAC Committee Chair. “We are pleased to continue working with Gov. Perry to help map out the future of Texas.”
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors Political Action Committee,” said Gov. Perry. “I will continue to make sure they have the tools they need to continue attracting new residents and businesses. The Texas surveyors community plays an integral role in keeping Texas strong.”
Davy Crockett (when he was a Tennessee Congressman) was reportedly the first politician to described the act of trading of influence or votes among legislators to gain passage of certain projects as "log-rolling".
Indeed...........:-P
Some media outlets are reporting that the Texas budget deficit, in spite of the Governors insistence that the State was perfectly solvent, is almost as bad as California's, and that the Texas Governor has just recently had to acknowledge it.
Now he appears to be desperately looking for things to whack, which may include some of his old friends.
We had a Governor Hairdo a few years ago. His name was Rod Blagojevich.
They will get the Engineers board to do the work for 1/4th the price and keep the other 300k.
Yes, he did
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