In response to a May 27 letter in support of some $3.5 million of our tax dollars to Maui Visitors Bureau: Let's do a trial and see how much is generated from transient accommodation taxes without the $3.5 million in grant money, then we will really know the answer.
If this grant to MVB was significantly reduced maybe our taxes would not need to be increased. Yes, people are struggling, yet each year taxes and fees keep increasing. Just in a matter of a year the vehicle registration tax has skyrocketed. And if you have a truck, even worse. My truck registration increased $79. Yikes. And this is not a commercial vehicle.
The small trucker/businessmen out there are suffering trying to pay all these increases and feed their families. There has to be some cutting somewhere, and it should start with grants to MVB instead of increasing the everyday person's taxes to pay for these huge grants to MVB.
Hope Tavares
Makawao
