Last night, state Delegate Rob Bell, the Albemarle Republican considering a run for attorney general next year, returned a recent call I made about money he has dropped into to the state's so-called "Tax Me More Fund."

The program provides generous taxpayers with a way to contribute more of their money into the state's coffers and allows lawmakers to highlight what they see as the hypocritical nature of higher-tax advocates.

Here is the link to the story I wrote last week about the fund and here is the response Bell left on my voicemail:

"I try every year to return money I didn't use out of my office account each year and this was a conventient way to do it. I didn't realize I would be in such as small category," he said with a chuckle.

I guess it make sense. Since 2002, the somewhat obscure fund has collected a total of $10,217.04.

As I point out in the story, the funds high point came in 2003 after Virginians forked over $6,602. The low point was in 2006, when the state received a measly $19.36.