Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, April 30, 2015
Desperate to Push GE Tax Hike Thru, HART Pretends Property Tax Hike is Only Alternative
By News Release @ 3:07 AM :: 7085 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail, Taxes

Watch HART try to pitch a Property Tax hike in order to make the GE tax seem palatable. 

Who could possibly be fooled by this tired old trick? 

 

Subject: Property Tax and GET Surcharge Comparison 

Dear Chair Kobayashi and Councilmembers:                  April 16, 2015

In response to a request from Councilmember Trevor Ozawa at the April 8, 2015 Honolulu City Council Budget Committee Meeting as to the impact to homeowners if the $900 million shortfall were offset by property tax instead of the proposed 5-year extension of the General Excise Tax GET Surcharge, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation provides the following:

Assuming the property tax rate was raised to finance the shortfall in five 5 years, the increase to the median residential property owner $700,000 property value would be approximately $414 per year. In comparison, the estimated median household would pay approximately $218 per year in GET surcharge.

See attached comparison charts. >>> PDF

Sincerely,

Daniel Grabauskas

Executive Director arid CEO

  *   *   *   *   *  

Flashback March 8, 2015 -- Complete Debunk of Rail Tax Hike Arguments

Star-Adv Editorial: Senate Bill 19, Senate Draft 2, trimmed the extension period proposed in the original bill from 25 years to five, an important change that rightly keeps the focus on completing the original phase of the elevated rail system....

REALITY: This is an old tax-hiker's trick.  Caldwell pitched a 25 year extension to make the 5 year extension seem palatable.  They're both tax hikes and Caldwell has already announced his intention to come back for more if he gets the 5 year extension.

Star-Adv: as construction costs rapidly rise and revenue sources decline, the project now faces a projected deficit of $910 million....Under the current budget projections, HART would lack sufficient funds to certify contracts that are scheduled to be awarded early next year, causing what are sure to be expensive delays in Honolulu's overheated construction market....

REALITY: Most of the $910M figure is smoke and mirrors accounting designed to create a false sense of crisis and stampede legislators into risking their political future on a GE Tax hike.  The first three-station bids are only $3.9M over projection.  Honolulu's construction market is not overheated.

Star-Adv: It's telling that a recent Hawaii Poll conducted for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now found rail and traffic to be the primary concerns for Oahu residents, topping homelessness, the economy and education.

REALITY: That was just a Ward Poll.  Ward knows how to get the result her customer wants.  Meanwhile the People's Pulse poll showed "Economy, Housing Remain at Forefront."

Star-Adv: Although the GET admittedly is a regressive tax, the surcharge taps into spending by residents and visitors alike....

REALITY: The GE Tax is 80-85% paid by local residents.  The poor suffer most.

Borreca: Rail transit plan may stink, but we're stuck with it now

REALITY: We can choose to control HART's spending and eliminate the 10% GE Tax skim rather than submitting to another GE Tax hike.  We don't have to be trapped by false choices and false information arranged to steer us to a pre-determined outcome.

read ... Predictable Old Boy Tax Hike Trap

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

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 Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii