Honolulu’s Transit Tax Future
Will Honolulu learn from Portland’s mistakes?
Probably not.
After years of expanding light rail, streetcars and commuter rail in the Portland Metro area, the money is drying up.
Tri-Met’s fare box only returns between 18 to 21% of the operating cost and that does not include capital construction. Metro has put all our transportation eggs into rail projects that are very expensive and unsustainable.
The answer? To raise taxes!
If the Legislature does not act, however, Metro staffers already have identified several regional funding sources for discussion. As outlined in a memo distributed at the May 16 meeting, they include:
• A regional gas tax collected in most of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.
• An increase in systems development charges assessed against builders to fund infrastructure improvements.
• A tricounty motor vehicle registration fee.
• A property tax levy to fund road construction and TriMet vehicle replacements.
Because the voters would have to approve the package, Metro is in the process of retaining a public opinion research firm to determine which elements have the greatest support.
Honolulu can look forward to a 5% GET if Portland is any example.
Link here.
Don
June 11th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
ever read any good hawaii history?
the whalers used to stop there and reup. one day they decided to mess with the locals and the captains son was killed. the cap’n then invited all the locals out to the big boat and when they were rowing out he cannoned them with canister and weighed anchor.
he even left two guys behind to be captured..
turns out that they knew how to use the cannons on their skiff and ended up helping the oahuans massacre the mauians.
this is no shit.
then when the US tried to get the royal lineage together and grow sugar then the king and queen kept having incestuous relations despite every effort.
I was there last year trying to show them that the other liberal la la land where i live had bottle return machines in every grocery store and that we dont have any glass on the beach anymore. but they still have bottle drives.
if it wasnt for the need to have our ships there, we probably wouldve begged the japanese to take them off our hands..
jennifer granholm is a canadian from harvard that is going to save us michiganders from ourselves with another tax increase.
poor dumb bastards will probably help her pass it.