2005 was the year of tax and fee increases for residents of Honolulu.
First, it was the property conveyance tax increase, then sewer and vehicle registration fees were raised, then a surcharge on the GE tax was approved by state and county lawmakers that will take effect January 2007, and lastly we renters and homeowners were hit with a Christmas notification that property assessments had skyrocketed 27 percent and property taxes would jump a third year in a row.
The recent tax and fee increases, and those that will come shortly, steal every gain workers made for the last several years just to offset inflation and improve their standard of living. Of course, young people just joining the work force or older residents on a fixed income are taking an even greater hit to their livelihoods as the tax and fee increases rob them of hope and leave them with despair for the future.
All this misery is being generated by the actions of City Council members and the mayor, state Representatives and Senators, and a governor who are all working against the voter