Verbatim: Abercrombie email says moving forward means raising taxes

Gov. Neil Abercrombie sent out the following message last night to Hawai‘i residents titled, “The Way Forward,” asking that the message be circulated via email.

Aloha everyone,

The choice to move Hawai‘i in a new direction is in our hands.

We are ready to move on every item on our agenda for a New Day—good jobs, great schools, clean energy, locally grown food, and caring for our neighbors in need.

And we can do this, even in these tough times, if we pass our Executive Budget and some key legislation.

Click here to download “The Way Forward,” a summary of my priorities

We can move Hawai‘i forward without raising the general excise tax and without Furlough Fridays.

And we can do it without deeper cuts. Cutting government in today’s circumstances may bring short-term savings but it will harm people and businesses and create dire long-term costs. We cannot let this happen.

Together, we are facing a $1.3 billion deficit. If we are going to raise taxes, which we must to get out of this hole, then we should accept nothing less than giving taxpayers more value for their dollars. That is the basis of our plan and my promise to you.

We are going to do more than just get by. Instead of attacking each other, we are going to attack our problems with courage and conviction.

Times are tough everywhere, but the people of Hawai‘i are tougher. The time to invest in ourselves is now.

I am counting on you to circulate this email, including our plan, to your friends and family. Let everyone know that you are ready for Hawai‘i to move forward.

Imua Hawaii!

Neil Abercrombie