FRANKFORT, Ky.—Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Robbie Rudolph today announced that the Department of Revenue has significantly increased its collection of past due taxes over the last six months, primarily through the use of automation and enhanced enforcement.

Shortly following his appointment as secretary, Rudolph met with the Revenue staff to see how the commonwealth’s collections efforts could be enhanced. Rudolph and Mack Gillim, director of the division of collections, along with the collections staff, devised a series of process improvements that include enhanced automation and training of staff that have significantly increased the department’s past due collections during the first six months of 2004.

Since January 2004, the department has collected $15.8 million more in delinquent taxes than it did for the same time period in 2003. Total collections from January through June 2003 totaled $52,600,945. Total collections from January through June 2004 have reached $68,428,216.

"This has been accomplished without hiring additional staff and with less than $100,000 in overtime," Sec. Rudolph said. "That’s a pretty significant increase for such a small operating expense."

In addition to the collection of overdue taxes, the department is gearing up for the implementation of HB 162 and SB 228, which direct revenue to collect liquidated debt for all state agencies, including the collection of vendor overpayments.