State want to raise gas/registration tax again

[kalakoa]

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/topn...hicle-fees

DOT officials say the fuel tax and fee hikes would raise an extra $45.1 million a year, revenue they say is needed for road maintenance and widening projects.

Meanwhile,

the Tax Foundation of Hawaii noted the state still has a backlog of more than $650 million in federal highway funds.

$650/45 = almost 14.5 years.

"It's apparent that the Department of Transportation needs to implement more efficient spending practices … prior to squeezing the taxpayers for more and more funding,"

Sigh.

[Chas]

From the article: "Combined, that works out to an extra $32.40 in registration costs for the owner of a Toyota Camry"

$32 EXTRA... EXTRA? Wow.

In PA I pay $39, total, for registration.

[huwenfut]

This is total bs. The state has a surplus of federal funds. Let them use that first before failing our already registration fees.

[Chunkster]

Rather than reform a bureaucracy in danger of losing federal funding due to inefficient paperwork processing, they are asking for more out of our pockets. Typical.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Rather than reform a bureaucracy, ... they are asking for more out of our pockets.

One requires more (actually very little) effort from the bureaucracy, the other more sweat from us. Decisions, decisions...

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

[kalakoa]

Amazingly, the State wants to raise the tax increase before it's even passed.

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/loca...edal-metal

A bill that initially sought to increase the state’s share of fees from $45 to $60 -- the amount requested by Gov. David Ige and transportation officials -- would now set the fee at $76.50. That represents a 70 percent increase.

[i]The bill, which will now be considered by the House, also increases the state’s fuel tax by 3 cents per gallon. Vehicle weight fees would increase by a penny per pound and a diesel tax would increase by 1 cent per gallon.

The "average" 2000-pound vehicle would therefore be subject to almost $100 more registration fees -- and my last stickers already cost over $200.

[ironyak]

Can the excess federal funding be applied to the Honolulu rail project though or is that the money pit these extra registration fees are needed for?

[kalakoa]

Can the excess federal funding be applied to the Honolulu rail project

Assume the new higher fees are "in addition to", not "instead of".

Whether outer islands should subsidize HART is left as an exercise for the reader.