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From the Conservative Forum for Hawaii:

Once again, our Hawaii County Council is ready to make our lives harder and more expensive.

This time, it is by a new law demanding an additional $4400 to $7000 tax for each newly built house as an “impact fee.” This is in addition to their many controversial and unnecessary new building code changes that will add potentially $25,000 to each new home cost.

“It’s a necessary tool to bring needed services and infrastructure to deserving communities like mine” said Councilwoman Brittany Smart.

Yet the biggest need for infrastructure is in the private subdivisions where 42% of us live and most new houses are built, and where the county is forbidden by law to spend public monies.

All this tax will do is make affordable housing that more out of reach for those who can least afford it already. But maybe that’s their whole point, to drive people away. What’s next, “impact fees” for each live birth?

It is apparent that our council never misses an opportunity to take money from the people, raise our cost of living higher and make our lives more difficult.

When was the last time they passed a law that lowered our costs of living, or made our lives easier? Maybe never. Especially in these severe economic times, the last thing we need is a county government that just doesn’t “get it.”

Edward Gutteling, Vice President
Walter Moe, President