Gary Harrold and the Star Advertiser fail to realize that the tat tax is a money grab by the state because it limits county Income from the tat. In other words for the next 13 years counties cannot tax tourists any more than they can now after the passage of this act. 

It's not a question of using state money for a Honolulu project. Mayor Caldwell even tried to show financial figures from studies by his administration that would confirm what he and the other mayors are saying. 

But he was stopped by the committee for lack of time on testifying on the TAT tax. Isn't it odd that legislators who are so concerned about financing for the rail project are unwilling to look at the actual figures which prove a point that is in opposition to their legislation?

This just proves that the legislators are not paying attention to what the mayor is saying. They even got amount of money his administration has asked for, wrong. And they blamed their inattention on his "lying".