SBH Sunrise
March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 8
East Oahu Breakfast Club
Hawaii Kai Golf Club | 7 - 8 am
Wednesday, March 9
SBH Monthly Board Meeting
Oahu Country Club | 12 noon
Tuesday, March 15
Aiea-Pearl City Biz Assoc.
Pearl Country Club | Noon - 1:30
Monday, March 21
ConCon Coalition Meeting
MIC - Manoa | 1:00 PM
Thursday, March 31
SBH Sunrise Networking
Macy's Pineapple Room
7 - 8:30 am
SBH TV
Sundays 7:00 pm
Channel 54
Inside this Issue!
No Business Reform
Small Business Views
SBH Sunrise March 31
Clean Elections Bill
Business Hall of Fame
Freedom of Expression
Agent Representation
Printing vs. Copying
SBH Home Page
RAIL TAX PROTEST
SBH CONFERENCE
PHOTOS
GALLERY 1
GALLERY 2
|
Small Business News
March 2005 | Top of the News
NO NEW TAXES! Several Small Business Hawaii members joined the rail tax protest near City Hall on February 28. Cliff Slater's group, the Alliance for Traffic Improvement sponsored the sign waving protest in reaction to the multi-billion dollar fixed rail proposal and the tax increase it will bring. The legislature is considering bills that will either authorize the counties to levy a sales tax or to increase the general excise tax by 25% statewide to pay for Oahu's fixed rail.
Legislative Session at Halfway Mark
No Business Reforms
The State Legislature which began January 19 and is scheduled to conclude May 5, is at the halfway mark of the 60-working day session. The score to date: no tax, business or regulatory relief; more taxes, mandates and spending on the horizon.
The heavily Democrat-controlled legislature so far has:
killed all Administration attempts to reform workers compensation
sidetracked the Governor’s plan to lower the unemployment tax ceiling from $32,000 to the Federal $7,000
dulled attempts to give employers relief from spiraling prepaid health care premium costs for employers
failed to enact any business-friendly tax credits for investment of out-of-pocket expenses
continued to press for the looting of taxpayer funds for a $2.6 billion rail transit to nowhere
kept alive proposals to limit private citizens from donating to candidates preferring a raid on taxpayer funds instead
$27 million (Act 1) to pay for the legislature
refused to hear any bill to repeal or modify the beverage container deposit tax
fast tracked a minimum wage increase starting at $7 per hour 7/05 and increasing each year
brought back the infamous mandatory meal break bill
allow union pickets at your home on private property
proposed General Excise tax (GET) increases
proposed another Conveyance Tax increases
proposed either a 1% GET or sales tax for the counties for rail
proposed a red light traffic camera bill (killed in the Senate)
pushed physician assisted suicide (killed in House & Senate)
moving more than a dozen bills that would lessen or strip the executive branch of its powers and prerogatives
refused to hear any bill for citizen initiative, referendum, recall, or term limits
Of all the action or inaction, none is more harmful to business than the annual stonewalling of ANY workers compensation relief. One lawmaker, Senator Brian Kanno (D-Makakilo), a union protege’—was described in a February Honolulu Star-Bulletin editorial a “a union stooge,” single-handedly can, and does, stop any WC business reforms, while pushing minimum wage and other mandate increases for business.
Thus far, two judges have been confirmed by the Senate and hundreds of board appointments are waiting.
There still is time to salvage some good from this session but it will only occur if business gets serious about holding lawmakers responsible for what they do. Kudos to NFIB, Board of Realtors, Restaurant Association, SBH and Human Resources associations for their active role to date. More businesses and associations need to step up to the plate. 3,600 bills were introduced; 1,000+ remain.
For latest bill status, go the legislative website: www.capitol.hawaii.gov or www.smallbusiness.com.
|
