Earlier this week, a study was released by the Coalition of Religious Communities claiming that payday loan collections and claims make up 37 percent of all cases in Utah’s justice courts. The organizations complaint is that these cases are taking up too much of the time and taxpayer money in the local courts. The study focused on Check City, based in Provo, as a main source of the court backup. But, in a Desert News article from yesterday, Provo City Justice Court administrator argued that the cases are far from a financial burden on the taxpayers.

Newton added that the number of prosecutions for unpaid loans is not a burden on taxpayers. “It is a lot of cases, but anyone who files a small claim has to pay a filing fee.”…The filing fees, Newton said, were set by the Legislature to start at $65 across the state. “When you look at $65 per case, that’s a real cash cow,” Hilton said.

Wendy Gibson, community relations director for Check City, echoed Newton’s claims.

“Not only are these court cases not burdensome on city government or taxpayers, but the courts are generating revenue for cities and counties, thus benefiting local tax payers,” Gibson said.