Senators kill bill to raise general excise tax with 10-4 vote

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted Thursday to kill a proposal to raise Hawaii's broadest tax.

Ten out of 14 Senators voted against the hike in the general excise tax.

The four senators who voted in favor raising the tax were Ways and Means Chairman David Ige D-Aiea-Pearl City; Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, D-Kalihi-Liliha; Sen. Carol Fukunaga, D-Lower Makiki-Punchbowl; and Sen. Michelle Kidani, D-Mililani.

On Wednesday, dozens of taxpayers appeared before the committee in a public hearing.

The general excise tax is currently levied on most transactions at four percent on neighbor islands and 4.5 percent on Oahu. The additional 0.5 percent goes to Oahu's future mass-transit rail line.