(Bee) An 11th-hour rush to beat California's tax amnesty deadline last week ultimately could beef up the state's cash-starved coffers by more than $2 billion, Controller Steve Westly said Monday.

"We put out the call and delinquent taxpayers have come running," Westly said during a telephone press conference. There was "an enormous mountain of people that have come forward in the last days of the closing of the program."

On top of the increased revenues, Westly's amnesty plan gave tax scofflaws a chance to feel like they'd done right by their state; these individuals may be far less likely to cheat or evade taxes in the future, and they'll have the quiet satisfaction of knowing that they have done their part and have nothing hanging over their head.