The GET route would have increased the cost of financing compared to TAT method. The House deserves much praise for insisting on the non-regressive means of taxation. Rail has been mismanaged and the audit and accountability clauses are most needed.  As for State funding of County projects, recall we have Federal funding of an "Interstate Highway System" contained on Oahu. So compelling interest for a whole State often trump the geographic and political definitions. Specially when most of the population and tax base is on Oahu, from which the neighbor islands do also benefit from. Big picture was and is required here.