Cell Phone Tax
Call to action…Call House Finance Committee Chairman Marcus Oshiro. 586-6200 email repmoshiro@capitol.hawaii.gov
HONOLULU (AP) – Monthly cell phone bills in Hawaii will continue to charge a 66-cent fee to cover the cost of 911 emergency location technology, even though the system has been paid for, because lawmakers are using the additional money to help balance the state budget.
Republican Gov. Linda Lingle and the board that oversees the cell phone fund had asked the Democratic-controlled Legislature to reduce the fee that generates about $670,000 per month.
The Legislature rejected the requests and instead is moving $16 million from the fund, leaving it with about $9 million. Meanwhile, the tax created in 2004 remains in place.
House Finance Committee Chairman Marcus Oshiro, D-Wahiawa-Poamoho, said the transferred money still serves a public purpose.
”It goes to the benefit of the general public, so the money is not lost or squandered somewhere,” he said. ”It goes to pay for services like hospitals or schools or parks.”
Sen. Sam Slom, R-Diamond Head-Hawaii Kai, said if the fee is no longer needed, it should stop.
”The objective (of the fee) has been nearly totally realized,” Slom said. ”They should take out whatever money to make sure everything gets done and then refund the rest to the wireless payers.”
The original purpose of the fee has been largely fulfilled, said State Comptroller Russ Saito, a member of the Wireless Enhanced 911 Board.
Saito said emergency location technology is available statewide, but excess money could be used to make cell phone services available in so-called ”dead” areas where coverage is spotty, such as valleys, rural areas and inside buildings.
”It’s just that there’s not 100 percent geographical coverage,” he said. ”In certain areas of the state, people don’t get wireless service so they can’t call 911. Part of what the board would like to do is extend service into those areas.”
Saito said maintenance and expansion of the wireless caller locator service could occur even with a fee reduction.
”As a Cabinet officer looking at what was being taken in versus what was being spent . . . my recommendation was to reduce the fee,” he said. ”We could still cover our costs. We could still cover some of the expansions that we wanted.”
Do you want to make a bet on if they keep this tax active, even though it has served its purpose.
Who is going to miss .66ç a month anyway. $31.68 a year for a family of Four. And why not add more taxes to the gas while your at it. Is there no end to the constant raising of fees to expand the government?
The government suspend a tax? Not a chance. Once in effect it will NEVER be repealed. Unless of course we are successful in our efforts to promote a true conservative movement. I am ALL for repealing this tax, but in this “worst economy since the great depression” (?!) getting government to forgo funds is at best a long shot in my estimation. But yes, still worth the effort of course. Best to not instill these crazy fee’s and tax’s in the first place. Which is where our movement comes in. I feel we MUST be successful in our efforts or we can probably say goodbye to the greatest country man has ever known.
A good friend of mine has been kind enough to take on the County budget looking for Pork and wasted monies. I hope to have something soon, so we can call our council members and Mayor, then have them take it out of the budget. Once a program is started, it is so difficult to end the program. The budget is overwhelming.
I accidently deleted Sue’s comment. OOPS!!
If people really paid attention and realize just how much of their paycheck goes to taxes, you get taxed every time you purchase something, now you are being taxed for something that doesn’t exist because the politicians don’t want to lose any money? If the government has to cut back on programs, try cutting out the polticial hack jobs to start with. But they won’t until the people come forth and say they have had enough.
Aloha, as a new person just registering, Aloha from the west side. Our org may be very much in line wqith yours. http://www.mauiteaparty.com We feel the taxes are unconstitutional. Amoung other things. As Americans and humans we are all different, but it think we all feel the same generally on the issues facing our country.
mahalo for alowing me to post. This is my first post.