Not quite. Google divides paid directories into 2 types: those that guarantee inclusion and those that don't, but still ask a non-refundable fee. Yahoo is the latter, which makes it trusted by Google. There's a video (probably Matt Cutts) where they say exactly what I just said.

Note: I wasn't asking for rationalisations, I was asking for anecdotal evidence. Does anyone have experience in improved rankings that they would attribute to Yahoo or DMOZ?