Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, October 27, 2014
Ige 'Education Tax' Would Hit All UH Graduates' Income
By News Release @ 5:26 PM :: 5400 Views :: Higher Education, Taxes

Senator Ige Has No New Solutions For College Affordability

Amazingly, Ige Actually Once Sponsored An 'Education Tax' On All UH Graduates' Income

News Release from Hawaii Republican Party

HONOLULU (October 27, 2014) -- Over the weekend, a new study showed that Hawaii led the nation in college tuition increases in the last five years, debunking Senator Ige's claims about his leadership on helping our students. To the contrary, Senator Ige once sponsored an outrageous proposal to tax all University of Hawaii students for 10 years after graduation.

"Rather than making it more affordable for families to send their children to college, Senator Ige has actually supported efforts to make it worse. Senator Ige has made it very clear that he will only offer the same failed policies of the last four years that have seen tuition rates and the cost of living soar in Hawaii." --Hawaii Republican Party Communications Advisor Ted Kwong

BACKGROUND:

A New Study Showed Hawaii Led The Country In College Tuition Increases. "A new data map courtesy of Fitch Ratings shows which states have the highest college tuition growth (for both public and private institutions) in the last five years and to what degree wage growth hasn’t kept up. Hawaii’s tuition increases easily beat out the rest of the country with an astonishing 34 percent hike over the past five years. The Oct 23 release indicates that wages there have only increased by just under 12 percent. (Separately this week, Standard & Poor’s revised its outlook on Hawaii’s AA general obligation rating from positive to stable, meaning it’s unlikely the state will see a credit rating upgrade in the near future.)" (Liz Farmer, " The Week in Public Finance: College Ain't Cheap, Green Bond Fever and Job Problems," Governing, 10/27/14)

Senator Ige Once Even Sponsored A Gross Income Tax On All University Of Hawaii Graduates. "Senate Ways and Means Chair David Ige, who is running for governor as a Democrat, declined to comment, but the Hawaii GOP criticized him this week for sponsoring several bills to increase taxes while in the Senate. Ige proposed a gross income tax on every graduate of the University of Hawaii for the first 10 years of employment after graduation. With his Democratic colleagues, he supported measures to increase the state’s general excise and increase Hawaii’s income tax to 11 percent." ("Hawaii worst for tax burdens, report says," Hawaii Reporter, 10/17/14)

“Education tax. (a) There is hereby imposed on every graduate of the University of Hawaii an education tax. The tax shall be levied and assessed against the gross income of each graduate for the first ten years of employment after graduation (b) The rate of tax shall be one-quarter of one per cent for each graduate receiving an associate or baccalaureate degree and shall be one-half of one per cent for each graduate receiving a masters or doctoral degree.” (Hawaii State Legislature Archives, SB 983, Introduced 1/17/97)

When Asked About College Affordability At The Final Televised Debate, Senator Ige Boasted Of His Work To Keep Tuition At Its Elevated Rates, But Offered No Solutions. "You know, this has been a question that the Legislature has taken up in the last 12 months, and it really has been – as Chair of Ways and Means committee I did have a hearing and have the university appear before us because it is something that is a concern all across the state about the rising tuition. And we did ask them and the regents did vote to have a moratorium on the tuition increases. And our point was, what is the reason for you raising tuition? The regents had told us that it was simply a case of we wanted the tuition to be in the median of peer institutions across the state, and we told them that that’s not acceptable. It really ought to be about what you’re funding, why you need to raise tuition, why is it that you believe and how would you invest those dollars. I would have to say university regents and executives have heard the Legislature loud and clear, and they are putting a moratorium on tuition increases and we’ll see on a going forward basis what’s the appropriate tuition level." (Senator David Ige, Hawaii News Now Debate, 10/15/14)

###

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT