Maui seeks rental car surcharge
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief
Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana is asking state legislators to give the counties authority to impose a new $1-per-day surcharge on rental cars to help finance improvements to deteriorating roads.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Apana said he expects an "uphill battle" with the car rental companies, who don't want additional charges imposed on their customers, but said he hopes the companies will see the benefit.
The state's mayors addressed lawmakers at the state Capitol today. From front to back, Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, Maui Mayor Kimo Apana and Kaua'i Mayor Maryanne Kusaka laugh at a joke by Big Island Mayor Harry Kim.
"We've come to the point that if we don't fix some of our major roads, we are starting to see some conventions not come to parts of Maui," Apana told members of the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means Committees yesterday.
Apana said work is needed in areas of West and South Maui.
A $1 daily surcharge for rental cars would generate about $6 million a year, Apana said. The county could use that cash to borrow $60 million to $90 million to pay for road improvements.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The counties can impose gas taxes to pay for road construction, but Apana said Maui County already has the highest gas tax in the state, 13 cents per gallon. "I don't think the people feel that's the right direction," he said.
Big Island Mayor Harry Kim made the state's mayor laugh today at his state lawmakers address.
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris told state legislators yesterday that the city plans to provide tax relief for people who lost their jobs or were called to active military duty after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Under the plan, those taxpayers would be allowed to defer their tax payments until June 1 without paying the penalties or interest normally charged for property owners who make late payments.
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
Correction: Mayor Jeremy Harris told state legislators that the city plans to provide tax relief for people who lost their jobs or were called to active military duty after the Sept. 11 attacks. A previous version of this story had incorrect information.
