BY JEFF CHURCHILL – Wow, as of March 9, each of us is getting punished with a tax hike of $520; that’s $550 million in new taxes to cover the $500 million spending spree so far.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s promise of fiscal responsibility has been flushed down the toilet with his first budget proposal. He promised that, “I have made it clear that I will work with the budget revenues we have and ensure that public funds are spent responsibly.”
However, in his first budget Abercrombie has increased his spending extravaganza by $700 million.
So, our state Senate and House with their blubbering love affair with Abercrombie are doing their best to castigate us with additional tax increases to cover the $200 million budget increase that’s left unbalanced. And this doesn’t include the additional hidden cost increases in our daily lives, like Matson. Since they hold the monopoly on shipping to Hawaii, they have announced they are increasing shipping rates again.
Now if that isn’t depressing enough, in 2009 our state Senate and House overrode Gov. Linda Lingle’s veto of $536 million in tax increases.
Since 2009 – and you know they will push this $700 million spending spree through – each of us will be responsible for a total of over $1,056 buckaroos each in tax increases.
Have you heard, now they are entertaining themselves with a “vehicle mileage tax.” Why, you say? Because, our state government squandered the allocated transportation funds on something else.