HONOLULU, HI – Taxes increase in Honolulu faster than inflation or wages and the voters have no referendum or initiative letting us vote on these growing tax levies. Politicians, like the Mayor and City Council Members, seek the favor of voters with various tax relief plans that typically pit old against young, poor against rich, property owners against renters, residents against landlords, taxpayers against tax exempt, and residential against business. These political tradeoff games make life in Honolulu unaffordable. Affordability will return only when voters take control taxation policies.

LET HONOLULU VOTE advocates a Charter amendment so that voters can vote on tax measures. The effort is simple; LET HONOLULU VOTE on taxes.

We as taxpayers have reached our limit. It is time to take control over the level of taxation in Honolulu. The City gas tax, the City GE excise surcharge, the yearly increases in assessments and property taxes extract almost a billion dollars from the pockets of Honolulu taxpayers. The City Charter allows voters to vote only once every four years for a Council person but never on a specific tax levy by the initiative or referendum process. Given that voters can never vote on taxes; is it any wonder that voter turnout in Honolulu is low?

The Petition circulated by LET HONOLULU VOTE will put a question on the November 2008 ballot to amend the City Charter by deleting the four words that currently restrict voters from using initiative on tax levies. If passed, this amendment would allow future voters to accept, reject, or modify any tax imposed by the City and County of Honolulu.

Nothing in this current petition either increases or decreases taxes. Instead this petition proposes a ballot measure that will permit future voters of the City & County of Honolulu to vote on tax matters when the prescribed number of voters deliver a petition to the City Clerk and place a tax matter on the ballot of a special or general election.

LET HONOLULU VOTE is a coalition comprised of Honolulu voters and taxpayers who want to take the control of taxation away from the politicians. This petition drive is the start of that effort, and signature collection begins Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at various locations around Oahu (see http://www.lethonoluluvote.org for directions). A press conference will be held at noon, Friday, Jan. 19, at Honolulu Hale to launch the petition drive.

Paul Smith is a member of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Board of Directors. This article was originally published on HawaiiReporter.com on 1/18/07.