Welcome to Black Wednesday - Forever

More cash out of our pockets beginning today. Taxes and various fees go up because most Democrats in the State and City level created and supported bills to "enhance revenue streams" and take more money out of our wallets. Here are some of the taxes and fees that will increase:



Bus fares being hiked from $2 per ride to $2.25 per ride. Monthly bus passes increase to $50 from the previous $40.



The City is increasing property taxes for operational expenses. Hello? Can we cut some of the operations like say, support staff for the proposed rail. Let's just cut the rail. It will be a big black hole for more taxes in the future. Oh yeah, it already is.

The state's conveyance tax on real estate sales is also increasing. Democrats overrode the Governor's veto of this nasty bill in May.

If you smoke pay more for cigarettes. I believe 60 cents a pack more.



The gasoline tax increases by at least 13 cents per gallon thanks to the stupid ethanol they put in it. For several years the ethanol blended gasoline was not subject to the General Excise Tax. Starting today the law that exempted the tax lapsed. So the public has got to pay more taxes for a gallon of gas. So now Hawaii's gas cost more than $3.10 a gallon. Prices will continue to rise. $4 is not very far away, and I think $5 is in our future too. The city is also thinking about increasing its portion of the gas tax by another penny.

The cost to register a vehicle is also going up. Weight taxes, whatever. Someone needs to create a lighter than air vehicle.

By the way, if you use a hand held cell phone and drive your vehicle at the same time, that is now illegal. Will cost you $67 the first time you're busted. I don't do cell phones, but the majority is warned.

The city is increasing the cost to visit the Honolulu Zoo. I haven't been there in ages. Don't think I will be going soon. The city is also increasing the cost to play at municipal golf courses. Parking around the zoo and Kapiolani Park is also increasing. Thank Democrats.

Tourists and people staying at home for a vacation will be impacted with higher hotel room taxes starting today. Thanks to the Democrats in the legislature who overrode the Governor's veto of the hotel room tax bill in May.

And of course if you are in a higher tax bracket, the state will take more money from your income tax return, thanks once again to Democrats who overrode the Governor's veto of the income tax increase bill in May.

OK. I think that covers most of it. I hate having more of my income taken because of taxes and fees. Paying for rail with the 2005 general excise tax increase was already too much. And now we have more taxes. Thanks to most Hawaii Democrats our lives all got more expensive.

And there's still more. On the table, a one dollar per barrel gasoline tax. And two new possible taxes on internet transactions and vendor relationships. Governor Lingle have put these tax increase bills on her potential veto list. Now is the time to urge the Governor to veto these bills and after she does that, call your legislators and tell them not to override the vetoes.



LINKS

• Prepare for Life to Get More Expensive
• City and County Cell Phone Ban
• Governor Lingle Releases Potential Veto List
  
• The Bus Fares and Passes
• Financial Reality Check for the State of Hawaii
• Amazon Dumps Hawaii Affiliates
• Governor Vetoes Tax Increase Bills
• Governor Lingle Vetoes Oil Tax Hike
• Lawmakers Assess Vetoes for Overrides
• more links to be added late today.