04-14-2010, 04:47 AM
Putting aside the side speeches on partisan politics and claims of bowing to unions etc, and putting aside misinformation as to how it will impact electric rates or inter-island transportation, people need to READ the BILL and understand exactly what it's for and how it will play out if approved. All the other stuff means nothing.
1. The entire rational for the Bill is based on a need to make Hawaii's more self sufficient in terms of energy, economic development, food, and environment.
2. Special funds will be established that restrict the use of the income to those purposes only.
3. There is ABSOLUTELY No statement in this Bill that has ANYTHING to do with balancing the budget or funding the general fund. Nothing, Nada, ZIP in the Bill that funds from this increase will go towards balancing the State's budget! I defy anyone to show me anything in the BILL that specifically talks about balancing the current budget with this BILL! There is NOTHING written in the Bill about that!
Now, I want everyone to read this carefully! MDD7000 and JerryCarr are not wrong about the Bill. Over 60% of the increased revenue will not go for the stated purpose and will be sent to the General Fund to help balance the budget. OVER 60%!
If the rationale as mentioned in #1 above is laid out in such lengths in the Bill, why is less than 40% of the funds going for that purpose? Why not simply call it a Balancing the Budget Bill with some funding for the other purpose? No they went to major effort to make all these wild claims of self sufficiency, yet the minority of funding will not go for that purpose. RED FLAG #1
Now as I examined #2 above, although the under 40% of funds collected for the stated purpose will be deposited into restricted funds for those purposes only, if you read carefully, you will see that if the legislature does not spend that money under those funds, the money (after a set time period) will be turned over to the general fund for any purpose. There is no mandate that those moneys being collected for the stated purposes and being deposited in so called restricted funds will ever be used for the intended purpose. It's a back-door, funding of the general fund via unspent restricted funds.
RED FLAG #2
Number 3 above is why each person needs to oppose this Bill. This is the lowest form of taxation through cowardly acts. Not only did they spend so much time to write some declaration of the self sufficiency needs of Hawaii, and not only did they allocate only a small segment of collected funds to that purpose, but they didn't even have the decency to mention any funding from the Bill would go to balance the budget. Had they stated right from the beginning that the BILL is also about increase taxes with some going towards the other purposes; you would understand you need to look at it. RED FLAG#3
Nowhere in the Bill has anyone even hinted that this tax increase will fund anything but the stated purposes. The only way you’ll know is by adding up the percentages for each funds and understanding that the excess will go to the general fund. The Bill is a fraud on the people of Hawaii and if you do nothing to stop this, you are agreeing to be the ATM for government.
1. The entire rational for the Bill is based on a need to make Hawaii's more self sufficient in terms of energy, economic development, food, and environment.
2. Special funds will be established that restrict the use of the income to those purposes only.
3. There is ABSOLUTELY No statement in this Bill that has ANYTHING to do with balancing the budget or funding the general fund. Nothing, Nada, ZIP in the Bill that funds from this increase will go towards balancing the State's budget! I defy anyone to show me anything in the BILL that specifically talks about balancing the current budget with this BILL! There is NOTHING written in the Bill about that!
Now, I want everyone to read this carefully! MDD7000 and JerryCarr are not wrong about the Bill. Over 60% of the increased revenue will not go for the stated purpose and will be sent to the General Fund to help balance the budget. OVER 60%!
If the rationale as mentioned in #1 above is laid out in such lengths in the Bill, why is less than 40% of the funds going for that purpose? Why not simply call it a Balancing the Budget Bill with some funding for the other purpose? No they went to major effort to make all these wild claims of self sufficiency, yet the minority of funding will not go for that purpose. RED FLAG #1
Now as I examined #2 above, although the under 40% of funds collected for the stated purpose will be deposited into restricted funds for those purposes only, if you read carefully, you will see that if the legislature does not spend that money under those funds, the money (after a set time period) will be turned over to the general fund for any purpose. There is no mandate that those moneys being collected for the stated purposes and being deposited in so called restricted funds will ever be used for the intended purpose. It's a back-door, funding of the general fund via unspent restricted funds.
RED FLAG #2
Number 3 above is why each person needs to oppose this Bill. This is the lowest form of taxation through cowardly acts. Not only did they spend so much time to write some declaration of the self sufficiency needs of Hawaii, and not only did they allocate only a small segment of collected funds to that purpose, but they didn't even have the decency to mention any funding from the Bill would go to balance the budget. Had they stated right from the beginning that the BILL is also about increase taxes with some going towards the other purposes; you would understand you need to look at it. RED FLAG#3
Nowhere in the Bill has anyone even hinted that this tax increase will fund anything but the stated purposes. The only way you’ll know is by adding up the percentages for each funds and understanding that the excess will go to the general fund. The Bill is a fraud on the people of Hawaii and if you do nothing to stop this, you are agreeing to be the ATM for government.