HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0751.128 2014-2016 Murashige, Laura
From: Tyler Dos Santos-Tam <execdir@hawaiiconstructionalliance.org>
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 4:00 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony on Bill 165 ra,1 -a,
Attachments: 050216 Hawaii County GET Bill 165.pdf
Aloha,
Please find attached testimony from the Hawaii Construction Alliance in support of Bill 165.
W
Mahalo,
Tyler Dos Santos-Tam
Executive Director
Hawaii Construction Alliance
execdir@hawaiiconstructionalllance.org
(808)348-8885
Comm. No. i 51. 128
Ref. To: jr1
Ref. Date MAY 0 3 2016
1
Hawaii
Construction
P.O.Box 179441
Alliance Honolulu,HI 96817
808]348.8885
May 2,2016
The Honorable Karen Eoff,Chair
The Honorable Valerie T.Poindexter,Vice Chair
and Members
Committee on Finance
Hawai`i County Council
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway,Building A
Kailua-Kona,Hawai`i 96740
RE: Support for Bill No. 165,for an Ordinance to Amend Chapter 2 of the Hawaii County Code
1983(2005 Edition,as Amended)by Adding a New Article to Establish a General Excise and
Use Tax Surcharge for the County of Hawaii
Dear Chair Eoff,Vice Chair Poindexter, and members:
The Hawaii Construction Alliance is comprised of the Hawai`i Regional Council of Carpenters;the Operative
Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Union,Local 630;International Union of Bricklayers&Allied Craftworkers,
Local 1;the Laborers' International Union of North America,Local 368;and the Operating Engineers,Local
Union No.3.Together,the member unions of the Hawai`i Construction Alliance represent 15,000 working
men and women in the basic crafts of Hawai`i's construction industry.
During the 2015 legislative session,the Hawai`i Construction Alliance was a strong proponent of HB 134,
which allows counties with a population under 500,000 to establish a surcharge on state General Excise and
Use Taxes("GET")before July 1,2016 to fund the operating or capital costs of public transportation systems
within each county, including public roadways or highways,public buses,trains,ferries,pedestrian paths or
sidewalks,or bicycle paths,and expenses in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.The
surcharge would begin on January 1,2018 and would end on December 31,2027.
We recognize the serious transportation and infrastructure needs of the County of Hawai`i,including many
miles of public roads,highways,and bridges in need of repair,and a public bus system in need of
improvement and expansion.We believe that Bill No. 165 offers a way to address those needs and move the
County of Hawai`i forward.
Should the Council decline to implement a GET surcharge at this time,we would urge the Council to quickly
identify an alternative way to raise the necessary revenue to address the county's transportation and
infrastructure needs.
In closing,we humbly request your favorable consideration of Bill No. 165,and thank you for the opportunity
to provide this testimony.
Mahalo,
Tyler Dos Santos-Tam
Executive Director
Hawai`i Construction Alliance
execdir@hawaiiconstructionalliance.org