How to shore up rail project's budget? HART wants visitors to foot some of the bill.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Should tourists help fund the rail project?

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is among those exploring the idea, which would use hotel room tax revenues to help shore up the budget for the embattled project.

HART board Chair Colleen Hanabusa says an upcoming assessment will reveal the true cost of building the rest of the rail line. She doesn’t believe the deficit is $3.5 billion.

“I hope that this the council as well as the city will look upon the TAT (transient accommodations tax) 3% because there is no such limitation by the Legislature on these funds,” Hanabusa explained.

“So, it could be in the future, something that the City Council and city can look upon as some way to defray the costs of operations and maintenance.”

Read more: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/10/05/how-shore-up-rail-projects-budget-hart-wants-visitors-foot-some-bill/