News Release from www.NRCC.org

Aloha – In her own words, Colleen Hanabusa said in one of her recent advertisements that she is the kind of politician that, “What you see is what you’ll get.” Since she asked for it, let’s take a look at her record… 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Show us Hanabusa’s Tax-Raising Record:  

In 2001, Hanabusa voted for a $96 million tax increase (S.B. 791, Measure History, Hawaii State Legislature website, http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2001/status/SB791.asp, March 8, 2001)

What will Hanabusa do for all? Higher taxes for middle-class families and small businesses:

Hanabusa’s vote not only raises taxes on Hawaii working families and small businesses, but also dips into the wallets of every tourist renting a hotel room in the state of Hawaii:

“Hawai’i now has the highest income tax rate for top bracket earners in the country, and visitors paying $200 a night for a hotel room will pay an additional $4 in taxes by 2011… Leveraging their overwhelming majority in the state Senate and House of Representatives, Democratic legislators increased state income taxes on the wealthy, the hotel-room tax, the conveyance tax on the sale of luxury and second homes, and a tax on tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars.” (Peter Boylan, Suzanna Roig, “Hawaii taxes to go up July 1 as lawmakers override governor,” The Honolulu Advertiser, May 9, 2009)

Please consider the following comment:

“The more we learn about Colleen Hanabusa’s record, the more we see how hurtful her policies would be for Hawaii’s middle class families, small businesses and the tourism industry.”- Joanna Burgos, NRCC Spokeswoman.