Here’s government efficiency for you: At the Department of Homeland Security, it costs at least $200 to process a voucher for an $8 cab ride.
So says DHS official Elaine Duke. She uses the factoid to bolster her argument that it’s smart for her agency’s officials to use limos on contract instead of calling for taxis whenever they leave their office:
The use of taxi service requires the submission and processing of a local travel voucher in order for the traveler to claim reimbursement. This ‘back office’ processing is conservatively estimated to cost at least $200 per voucher[.]
That’s your national security budget at work!
