Mark Takai has spent over a decade trying to raise taxes on just about everything.

CB: Democrats Whine About Commercial Exposing Takai's Record on Taxes

GOP Chair Pat Saiki Responds 

Good Afternoon Hawaii Press Corps -- October 25, 2014

Mark Takai and Hawaii Democrats are whining about television ads produced and paid for by an independent group that points out Takai has voted to raise our taxes, including supporting a bill that would have taxed pensions that are so important to senior citizens. All that complaining is a convenient way for Democrats to try to shift voters’ attention from the facts.

Some of the political TV ads now running – and the one that Takai is most concerned about – are done by so-called independent expenditure committees. These are committees that cannot have any ties to a political campaign. Whether we like them or not, the independent expenditure committees are now a fact of political life and have the backing of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Interestingly, we don’t hear Hawaii Democrats grousing about the $300,000 Hawaii television advertising push by a mainland independent expenditure committee that supports Takai. So that mainland money is OK, but it’s not OK if a similar group opposes Mark Takai? Really?

Let’s get real and focus on the facts. And these are the facts: Mark Takai has said, on the record, that he would support raising taxes; and, the public record shows he supported a bill that would have taxed pension payments.

Sincerely,

Pat Saiki

State Chair

Hawaii Republican Party