Lingle won't say if she'll sign transit tax bill

Associated Press

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday said she will wait until the July 12 deadline to decide on a bill that allows counties to raise the state's general excise tax to fund transportation projects.

Lingle said she plans to use that time to make certain that her concerns about the bill will be addressed in the 2006 session of the Legislature.

"My impression is that the legislators are very open to make adjustments in the next session," she said.

The bill would allow counties to tack up to half of a percentage point onto the state's 4 percent general excise tax. Money collected from the surcharge would be earmarked for transportation projects.

Among Lingle's concerns was the state being named as the collector of the tax, with 10 percent of what was collected going to pay for that task.

She said she also was concerned about the wording of the Honolulu portion of the bill, which seemed to limit the number of projects the money could be used for to only one.

Traffic-jammed Honolulu has been the focus of the bill.

Lingle said she has told Hono-lulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann that she's taking the time "to make certain that I consider everything."