Re: Rail Transit
Rail -- Do we need it? Can we afford it? Can we maintain it? No to all 3. Especially the "afford it" part.
People bitch and moan all the time about sitting in traffic now. Are they all using TheBus as is coming in from Mililani, Ewa Beach and Waianae? Many are not. Yet they bitch and moan but still choose their car over mass transit we now have. Why is that?
I am in favor of adding more busses just by using the sources of income the city currently have (the tax surcharge not being counted at this time). It's a matter of prioritizing, just like what we do in our own lives. If the city wants to prioritize transportation then something has to be cut, like parks for example. Work within the budget they already have. Not ask for more money from the taxpayers.
You don't have to raise taxes. Build a toll road and charge users who use it a fee. Others who don't want to use the toll road can use the present system. Allow the bus to use the toll road.
The city should also look into other options like privately run jitney van service that deliever passengers door to door, seated down.
The neighbor islands are not getting any share of the GE Tax surchage, the increase part of the tax that only goes to Honolulu/Oahu transit. They still have to pay for it in many cases but don't benefit at all from it. The respective county councils on the neighbor islands turned down the tax authorization that was granted to them in Act 247 in 2005. Only Honolulu approved the tax, yet the neighbor islands may still have to pay for it. Unfair for them. It is a dedicated "rail" tax.
Rail supporters have won. They have the tax. They have the transit approval from the city council. The taxpayers will lose personal dollars to more taxes starting January 1. Opponents have definitely lost already because we will be paying a tax for something we don't want. It is a dedicated rail tax. The rest of the GE Tax that is not part of the surcharge is allocated to the state general fund, where through the normal legislative process, allocations are made to various state projects.
Rail won. Taxpayers are losing. Property owners and residents next.
The secret is in the word "success". Census data show that only 8.3% of Honolulu's population use public transit. Rail will not alleviate traffic unless governmnet comes up with legislation to force us out of our vehicles.
There is no guarantee that rail will be a success. What it will be is an endless pit where tax money will constantly be flushed down into a very, very deep financial abyss.
If you build more roads, more people will use those.
General Excise Surcharge Will Hurt Hawaii's Economy
Originally posted by helen
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People bitch and moan all the time about sitting in traffic now. Are they all using TheBus as is coming in from Mililani, Ewa Beach and Waianae? Many are not. Yet they bitch and moan but still choose their car over mass transit we now have. Why is that?
I am in favor of adding more busses just by using the sources of income the city currently have (the tax surcharge not being counted at this time). It's a matter of prioritizing, just like what we do in our own lives. If the city wants to prioritize transportation then something has to be cut, like parks for example. Work within the budget they already have. Not ask for more money from the taxpayers.
Originally posted by helen
View Post
The city should also look into other options like privately run jitney van service that deliever passengers door to door, seated down.
Originally posted by helen
View Post
Originally posted by helen
View Post
Rail won. Taxpayers are losing. Property owners and residents next.
Originally posted by helen
View Post
There is no guarantee that rail will be a success. What it will be is an endless pit where tax money will constantly be flushed down into a very, very deep financial abyss.
If you build more roads, more people will use those.
General Excise Surcharge Will Hurt Hawaii's Economy
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