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A recent article on World Defiance Day (Hawaii Reporter, 7/6/07) described the efforts of a few local business owners and patrons to protest the smoking ban which they claim has hurt their business and encroached on their personal freedoms. The report cites how the drop in business due to the smoking ban, combined with the accumulated effects of skyrocketing taxes, may have led to the closures of several local restaurants. Taxes mentioned included the GET surcharge and increased commercial real property taxes.
This seems to be a