State Sen. David Ige said Friday that Gov. Neil Abercrombie has sought to "politicize" the legislative session by blaming him for stalling tax relief for seniors.
Abercrombie implied this week that Ige, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the governor’s opponent in the Democratic primary, had held up the governor’s tax relief proposals for seniors. But both the House and Senate have so far declined to move the governor’s bills, and some of the proposals did not reach Ige’s committee.
Ige believes Abercrombie is emphasizing tax relief for seniors so voters might forget that the governor had recommended a pension tax in 2011 when the state was struggling financially. Ige had led the resistance to a pension tax in the Senate.
"I’m confident that the public will see the difference," Ige said at his Moiliili campaign headquarters.
"I’m disappointed the governor has decided to politicize the session, because I’m focused on doing the people’s business."
Abercrombie said he will fight for tax relief for seniors until the end of session. "I’m going to continue to push in the rest of the legislative session for senior tax relief because it’s affordable and it’s fair and it’s the right thing to do," the governor said in an interview Wednesday. "Now, if politics enters into it in some way that denies that, well then, it will have to be an issue in the election. I’m content with that."
A political clash between Abercrombie and Ige during the session was inevitable, since the governor’s budget and new spending proposals have to pass through Ige’s Ways and Means Committee.
Ige (D, Pearl Harbor-Pearl City-Aiea) is predicting that the Council on Revenues will downgrade the state’s revenue forecast Tuesday, which would make new spending on tax credits difficult for the Legislature to approve.
Rep. Sylvia Luke (D, Punchbowl-Pauoa-Nuuanu), chairwoman of the House Finance Committee, has drafted a $12.1 billion state budget that reduces Abercrombie’s spending request by $53 million.
The draft will move across to the Senate — and Ige’s committee — on Wednesday.
"I’m anticipating whatever cuts she’s made, that we are going to have to do more cuts," Ige said. "And I think part of the reason for the statement is I’m certain that the governor will accuse me of playing politics again with budget cuts. But the reality is going to be, we’re not going to have the revenues that the governor thought he had back in December."
