Tax Hike for Rail?

[pzarquon]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

I don't envy Lingle. It's a tight spot. No one wants to be the next Rene Mansho -- you know, the single person to torpedo yet another exhaustive attempt at passing something to have a chance at some federal dollars to address transportation on a macro scale.

With this bill, she has an 'out' in that it's the counties that will be raising your taxes. Honolulu's already got the John Q. Taxpayer check drafted and is ready to go, but who knows, maybe the other counties will take a longer look at it. I'm pretty sure they'll also want to invest in public transportation, though. They've been stuck in TheBus' shadow for too long.

The fact that the state will have to administer the higher tax collection is certainly a pain in the butt, and gives the counties an out in that the 'tax' line on all your receipts will still have the state's name on it. But I do think it's simpler than expecting individual counties to suddenly develop a collection system and for all receipts to have a second line for 'tax' - talk about adding insult to injury.

As someone who's wanted to see rail in Honolulu since he was six years old or so, I fall into the "about damn time" camp. (Though I don't have it in front of me, Howard Dicus wrote a pretty succinct pro-rail piece in the Pacific Business Newsa few weeks back.) That's not to say, however, that I don't think this is going to hurt. Damn straight taxes suck. But it'd have hurt less if we got it over with in the '80s, and you bet your sweet bippy it'll hurt more if we wait another 15 years.

[Miulang]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

And us guys on the Mainland will have a vested interest in making this thing work too, if the State qualifies for federal funding. Some of my tax money will be going to help you build your public transportation system, too, on top of all the taxes I pay whenever I visit da 'aina.

Miulang

[mel]

The Rail Tax is Raping Our Wallets

It is quite convenient that the previous posts have pre-empted my post by adding a new page. So now I add another follow-up post to remind people that plain and simple this whole rail scam is just another money grab at your wallet. It is time to stop the bleeding today.

Call, fax and email Governor Linda Lingle and tell her to veto this bill today.

Our wallets are aching. Approving this tax will only cement Hawaii's dismal reputation as being a continual tax hell.

This is not about home rule. This is about our wallets.

[pzarquon]

Re: The Rail Tax is Raping Our Wallets

It is quite convenient that the previous posts have pre-empted my post by adding a new page.

It's hardly a conspiracy, Mel. Pagination is automatic. I'm pretty sure most of us here are smart enough to know how to catch up on a multi-page thread.

Call, fax and email Governor Linda Lingle and tell her to veto this bill today.

Unless, of course, you want her to sign it.

Er, okay, I don't think anyone wants her to sign it. Just like no one really wants to go to the dentist. Just close your eyes and think of England...

[mel]

Re: The Rail Tax is Raping Our Wallets

It's hardly a conspiracy, Mel. Pagination is automatic. I'm pretty sure most of us here are smart enough to know how to catch up on a multi-page thread.

But it was just plain ol' convenient after I had put up a substantial post. I never said "conspiracy" when I made my follow-up post. You read whatever you like into that... and I guess you read conspiracy.

What is a bigger conspiracy is this onerous rail tax that must absolutely be stopped. Rail will NOT solve traffic gridlock. It will only add to the cost of living to all Hawaii residents and visitors. It is a tax up front and later will be a continual tax from other sources as homeowners will have to subsidize both rail and the money losing Bus that only serves 8% of the population.

Not to mention that the pinko communist Congressman, Neil Abercrombie stated in his recent article that they plan to sell development rights along the rail route to developers thus increasing people's property taxes along the line once some kind of plan is finalized.

This rail tax will involve more than the GET.

[jdub]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

I'd have to agree that a light rail system will not do much to solve the traffic problem on Oahu. Even the exorbitant gas prices drivers pay here haven't increased ridership on theBus to any appreciable extent. This issue has been a quagmire for as long as i can remember, and throwing money at a problem like traffic is not likely to provide any real solution. Even with a rail system as an option, i just don't see John and Jane Platelunch getting out of their cars.

As far a the tax hike, I find it unconscionable that lawmakers failed to provide ANY tax relief this session. Auwe!

[mel]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Raising State General Excise Tax Bad for Hawaii Families

According to the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, this tax increase that passed the state Legislature this week, will cost my family $450 a year.

I cannot afford this.

I am on a fixed private pension that has no cost of living increases. Unfortunately, I do not have one of those generous public employee pensions with its cost of living increases.

In 14 years, I have not had a cost of living increase in my pension. I wish lawmakers were as concerned with my financial welfare as they are of the state employees.

If you pass this tax increase, you will certainly certify that you are not concerned with my financial welfare as well as that of others in the private sector on fixed pensions.

Read the entire essay at this link.

I know several people who in the same predicament as this person. The GE Tax and all the other taxes that both the city and state are raising will not only hurt the average wage earner, but also negatively impact the elderly on fixed incomes.

Do we really want to perpetuate Hawaii's horrible reputation as being the worst state for taxes any longer? If so call the Governor and urge her to veto this tax increase today!

[Miulang]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Mufi wants light rail to stop his constituents from complaining about gridlock on Honolulu roads. Is Mufi going to get what he wants?

Miulang

[mel]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Bill 40 on fast track; no community public hearings:

Bill 40, the transit tax, which will collect $3,000,000,000 ($3 billion) from taxpayers, or $13,000 for each family of four, would be the largest tax increase in Hawaii's history and yet there will be no opportunity for the opposition to voice its rebuttal in any detail; the "privilege" of being able to make a one minute comment does not count as a "hearing" — it is a joke. Nor will there be any opportunity for community understanding and input.

How are average voters expected to take off 3 to 4 hours from work to attend these "hearings"? Of course they can't.

This is an absolute outrage; we must demand hearings in each Neighborhood Board District. With a new Council and a new Mayor, we had expected the promised "open and transparent" process. Instead it is the "same old same old" shibai. Call, fax or email your Council member and express your outrage. Tell them you want an open process and hearings in each community. Don't let them get away with it.

________________________________

Liberals want to take away more of your personal funds. Always.

[bustedbyu]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Let me say that this is my first post and wished that I visited this forum earlier in the legislative session. Please bear with me as I move from point to point, though I may be off track at times.

The general excise tax is not a sale tax. Our 4% GET is like a 12-16% sales tax because it has the pyramiding effect. Products are sold and taxed from manufacturer to distributor to wholesaler to retailer and essentially to you. With the estimated 3 billion dollars that the tax will create, the Feds will only match approximately 500-600 million dollars. They have never gone higher than that, ever.

The city council IS fast tracking Bill 40. Though they don't have a plan, they are ready to increase your taxes. They are not even discussing the issue of property condemnation along the rail line as some residents and businesses will be forced out of their property. There are 2 more council hearings to vote on the bill before it is enacted.

Governor Lingle publicly stated that she will sign the bill. You can help stop Bill 40 at the city council by faxing letters to them:

Visit http://capwiz.com/hirealtors/issues/...581591&type=CU

One letter you generate will be faxed to all 9 council members. Once you send your letter, forward the link to everyone you know.

[Miulang]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

How many more 9 hour traffic jams on H-1 is it gonna take before Honolulu gets serious about beefing up public transportation (not necessarily light rail)? Twice a week may be unusual (as happened this week), but with all the lolo drivers yakking on cell phones or otherwise being distracted and causing accidents as they navigate the roads, this kind of traffic mess is bound to only get worse.

Yes, our new monorail and light rail systems up here required condemnation of businesses and homes, but the money that was offered to the owners was fair and not many complained about having to leave. We get more complaints about building a 3rd runway (which is really required because of the air traffic) at Sea-Tac Airport.

Miulang

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

I'm tired of the whining and bitching, tell me a alternative solution to the traffic jams on Oahu? THEN I will consider your proposals and go against the light rail supporters. You guys just scare people with the 'taxes=death' propaganda but dont offer solutions to fix the problems. And I want GOOD ideas, not lame ones like I see in the paper, "fix the roads and build more highways". Please!! That is just what we need more gridlock caused by more cars on more roadways.

I wish it could be as simple as putting the railway in the existing zipper lanes on the highway, but I know its much more complicated than that. I think eliminating road traffic to part of Waikiki, like Kuhio or Kalakaua would be a good idea or turning parts of King Street into light rail are options. Heck, years ago we did have a rail system on King Street it worked then, why not now!?

I dont drive, I walk 60 miles a week all over this island, I dont need a damn car, nor do I need the worthless bus. But if I need to get somewhere in a hurry, yes I'll highly considering riding the rail system because it will get me there quicker while the rest of you yahoo's who insist on driving all over the place and clogging up the roadways, sit in logjams while I wave and laugh at you as I wiz by.

KalihiBoy

[Miulang]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Hey, Kalihiboy, long time no see...
Here are some alternatives to the traffic jams that don't require any new roads or light rail:

1) move closer to where you work. This might mean giving up a single family house with a yard, but hey, those days of being able to afford to live out in suburbia and drive in to work in an SUV are gone. Moving closer to work might mean renting or buying a condo, although you gotta act fast: the Capitol Place condo development on the edge of downtown is selling units for an average of nearly $660,000, and the units won't be ready to move into for another couple of years. The developers thought they would be selling the units in the high $200k for one bedroom units, and now those units are going for around $345k. So the hot real estate market is just gravy for the developers.

2) Have the State give businesses an incentive to allow more workers to go on flextime. One of the reasons why traffic congestion is so bad is because everybody has to be on the road at the same time. If more of the major employers in Honolulu allowed employees to work flextime (maybe four 10 hour days instead of the five eight hour days), there would be fewer cars on the road. Up here, there is a Statewide mandate for businesses employing more than 50 people to partially subsidize bus passes, carpooling, telecommuting, anything to reduce the volumes of traffic during the peak commute times. I am generally at work by 7:30 a.m. and leave at 4:30 p.m., so I miss the peak traffic times by about half an hour at either end. And I get Fridays off, so I always get 3-day weekends.

These 2 things alone can probably ease much of the congestion between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

Not having a car can be a good thing however when you need to go to some major shopping for whatever or have to go to a formal event, suddenly a car is a godsend as some of my carless friends have found out.

You want solutions? If you hate the traffic but are in it guess what...you're part of the problem. Solution? Get out, my how simple.

I did, I hated the traffic so I left the island and moved to the Big Island where traffic isn't so much of a problem (with the exception of Kona, thank you Aaron). I did my part to relieve traffic congestion. But if you choose to live and work in Honolulu you ARE part of the problem and staying there isn't going to reduce the congestion for as long as you sit in your car/bus/light rail to get to work.

Oahu is like a box with it's seams ready to burst. Adding another transit system won't make that box any bigger. Sooner or later it's gonna bust wide open. So to relieve the pressure you gotta purge the system now and then.

Some woman in an editorial said we should limit population growth on Oahu. Oh yeah she got hers and wants to keep it. If she thinks it's such a great idea she should set the example and leave. I think it's a great idea so guess what I did?

Light rail won't work simply because getting several hundred people out of their cars will only make space for several hundred more people that will replace them. DUH!!! Now you got congestion and a white elephant taking up valuable transit space being paid for with your tax dollars!

Solution? Like I said: As long as you're sitting in traffic you're part of the problem. I don't sit in traffic so I don't have a transit problem anymore.

But I do have a problem when I did my part, yet my tax dollars are going to be used to try and solve someone elses problem because they won't solve their problem themselves. Does that make sense?

[Miulang]

Re: Tax Hike for Rail?

For in-towners who only need a car periodically, the Flexcar option might just be the ticket. You basically pay a $40/month fee plus usage, and you reserve a Flexcar, which are parked in reserved spaces all over town. This concept started here in Seattle. The cars they have up here are mostly Priuses. You don't have car payments or car insurance to hassle with, no paying extra for gas or maintenance on the car, either.

Hmmm...maybe I should start a franchise in Honolulu...

Miulang