Registration fees
Registration fees
Consider the value,
not the weight
A major component of the annual vehicle registration fee that everyone in Hawaii with a vehicle on the road pays is the weight tax. Unlike many jurisdictions the value of the vehicle is a complete non factor. For example, the owner of a brand new BMW will pay a much lower fee than the owner of an older heavier vehicle. Apparently this inequity came to prominence several decades ago when many of the people sitting in the state Legislature were driving four-cylinder, primarily Japanese, cars.
There are currently a significant number of vehicles on the road in Hawaii that were purchased on the mainland and shipped here by their owners when they migrated to Hawaii. Please realize, when these vehicles were purchased the owners paid several thousands of dollars in taxes (most often to the state of California) based upon the value of the vehicle. Now the vehicle is on the road here. How much are the owners paying for their annual vehicle registration fee in Hawaii? Well, it depends on the weight of the vehicle, not the value.
Currently, our well-intentioned, often-misguided elected officials are seeking to raise the annual vehicle registration fees. The value of the vehicle is once again completely ignored in the proposed increases. If the vehicle value was a consideration, the owners would expect the annual fee to decrease as the vehicle value decreases. If a more equitable vehicle tax was enacted, the capture of the currently lost revenue could offset other state and local taxes.
John Totten
Kailua-Kona
Greenhouse gases
It’s time for all
nations to take action
We all know that trapped greenhouse gases are causing all the extremes in weather, and it’s also obvious that things are only getting worse. I know our president has taken a stand to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but this is a global concern.
If things go on the way they are now, we won’t have to worry about nuclear attacks because we won’t be around to care. All heavy industrialized nations need to completely cut off all emissions now. We don’t need more cars, cellphones, computers, dolls and clothing since we already have more than enough already.
Mankind is the destroyer of his own race but the sad thing is we destroy all other living things as well. I hope our leaders wake up and take quick action before it is too late. Maybe it already is too late.
Colleen Miyose-Wallis
Kailua-Kona