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CORRECTION
In the first item, The Kauai County Council discussed, but did not approve, a proposal to ask the state to double the amount of Transient Accommodations Tax money that goes to the counties.
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Counties want their TAT back
The counties will be back knocking at the state’s door very soon, seeking what they consider a fairer shake when the tourist tax purse is divvied up.
This week Kauai County sent up the first smoke signals indicating its intent to petition for more of the Transient Accommodations Tax. The Garden Island gets $13.7 million from the TAT and wants that doubled.
In the immediate wake of the recession, the state’s pressing budget problems were used as a shield. But with an improving economy — and greater tourism impact off Oahu — that defense may be wearing thin.
Grim future for idle youth
The millions of young people idle across the country represent more than lost hope, they represent America’s future at risk. A study out this week found that nearly 6 million people ages 16 to 24 — nearly 15 percent of that age group — are neither attending school nor working.
The percentage is better in Hawaii — 12.7 percent — but that relatively good news doesn’t overshadow the reality that for too many youths, years that should be filled with hard work and opportunity are instead wasting away. Their individual lives are at stake, and so is the health of their communities.