As Corporate reportedly burns up pricey jet fuel on jaunts to island getaways, mileage reimbursement rates across Gannett are soaring (hah!). Last month, for example, the Tallahassee Democrat boosted its rate a measly two cents -- to 28 cents a gallon. That's only half the rate allowed by the IRS, which earlier this year recognized the burden higher gas prices place on workers.Now, a reader wonders how Gannett treats this in its financials. "Is there some 'accounting method' used whereby they claim the full allowance (58.5 cents), even though they're only reimbursing half of that? That would be a huge financial fiasco, IMHO, if true."
I get this question from lots of readers, so I thought I'd post it. That scheme sounds very unlikely. (But if anyone could find a way, it would be our fave financial wizardress/de facto CEO -- Gracia Martore!)
Meanwhile, more cheeky questions:
- What's your current mileage rate?
- When was it last increased?
- How much was the last increase?
Rochester's current mileage rate is 31 cents, down from a munificent 32 cents last month. The paper went to a sliding scale based on the local price of gasoline a few months back.
ReplyDeleteUSA Today gives 35 cents, up a few months ago from 33. It was last increased about two or three years before that.
ReplyDeleteWho cares?
ReplyDeleteAsheville has zero gasoline, which equals.
No travel.
No Sales.
No Paychecks for the rest of the paper.
Maybe we can let some people go to make up the revenue caused by the gasoline shortage in the southeast.
Sales reps can car pool you know.
Asbury Park mileage is 25 cents. Last increased in 2002.
ReplyDeleteLafayette (LA) Advertiser's mileage is 26 cents a mile, I think it went up from 25 to 26 around May.
ReplyDeleteElmira's rate is 27 cents. It was last increased sometime before 2008. It used to be 26 cents.
ReplyDeleteAt Brevard the rate is set monthly by the cost of 87 octane on the 1st of the month.
ReplyDeleteCurrently it's 31 cents per mile.
3.01 to 3.25 -- .29
3.26 to 3.50 -- .30
3.51 to 3.75 -- .31
3.76 to 4.00 -- .32
4.01 + -- .33
These sliding rates are slaying me. Like flipping you an extra penny really makes up for a 25-cent increase in a gallon of gas.
ReplyDeleteKTHV-TV Little Rock, AR - .40 since early '07! Looks better than newspaper!! What's up with that?
ReplyDeleteCincinnati's is revisited quarterly. It is currently .36c and is set to increase to .37c at the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to say that I'm in the journalism field and don't know what you mean about no gas in Asheville!
ReplyDeleteNashville: $.30 per mile, set Sept 1.
ReplyDeleteDown from $.32 in August.
Liefield has been tinkering with the adjustment period to give us the lowest possible.
Nashville is at $4.10 per gallon (87 oct) when it can be found.
I've never heard of all this price tinkering until now. Is it labor-intensive to keep making these adjustments -- and if so, does that extra labor eat into any savings?
ReplyDeleteMore than anything, though, this illustrates the desperate measures Corporate is taking to save money.
There's an informative thread on Sportsshooter on what some Gannett papers pay for mileage:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=29165
The message board has other threads for gas mileage reimbursement; just use the search feature.
Corporate saves the money because their rate is .21/mile. That was "raised" about 11 years ago when the rate was .21/mile for the first 100 miles, then .18/mile for the remainder.
ReplyDeleteI save money for the company by renting a car instead of driving my own whenever possible.
OOPS - that costs the company more than the standard rate.
But why should I "donate" my car to the company?
Cherry Hill is 30 cents, raised just a few months ago from 25 cents. No idea when the last increase was before that.
ReplyDeleteSioux Falls is at $.32, down from a record high of $.33 in June and July.
ReplyDeleteIndy pays .36 cents a mile and it is reviewed quarterly
ReplyDeleteAsheville pays .30 cents a mile, up from .27 cents. I believe the increase took effect in June.
ReplyDeleteTo 7:42 p.m., Hurricanes Ike and Gustav have supposedly disrupted production at refineries that serve the southeast. There's little to no gas in Asheville, which had led to long lines and fights at the pumps.
Check out www.citizen-times.com
Meanwhile in Asheville, the star columnist (who wrote the story last week that gas supplies would be "low" over the weekend) wrote a chuckling column Monday about how he had hoarded gas, filling up 3 autos and a boat, while previously telling readers "not to panic." That appeared the day the city ran out of gas. Great nominee for GCI public service journalism.
ReplyDelete