Record budget

Caldwell's proposal for a higher fuel tax meets Council resistance

By Gordon Y.K. Pang

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 02, 2013

~~<p>Mayor Kirk Caldwell's plan to increase the city's fuel tax to help pay for road repairs and restoring bus service could be running out of gas even before it reaches the floor of the City Council.</p>
<p>Both Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Budget Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi expressed grave reservations about the proposal that calls for a 5-cents-a-gallon increase to the existing 16.5 cents per gallon motorists now pay at the pump. Caldwell estimated the increase would give the city coffers an additional $15 million annually.</p>
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Mayor Kirk Caldwell's plan to increase the city's fuel tax to help pay for road repairs and restoring bus service could be running out of gas even before it reaches the floor of the City Council.

Both Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Budget Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi expressed grave reservations about the proposal that calls for a 5-cents-a-gallon increase to the existing 16.5 cents per gallon motorists now pay at the pump. Caldwell estimated the increase would give the city coffers an additional $15 million annually. Login for more...