In reading the article on the City and County of Honolulu property tax increases, I was struck by what was not mentioned as a reason for the increases — the rail (“Oahu residents reeling from steep increases,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 3).
Who were blamed were the rather nebulous “they” buying up property; police, EMS and firefighter salary increases (individuals generally held in high esteem by the public); facilities maintenance; and more.
How is it that the rail, the most expensive city project ever, a project whose gaping maw is constantly demanding more money, a project with never-ending cost increases and cost overruns (and they haven’t even gotten to the hard part), does not figure into the property tax increases?
The politicians hasten to explain that they are not increasing the property tax rate, merely the property valuation. It doesn’t matter much to most people how one labels the extraction of more of their money; the amount extracted is of greater concern.
Here is a great opportunity for local government to be more transparent as it constantly claims to desire to be.
Gregory Wilson
Downtown Honolulu
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