Despite the money problems associated with COVID-19 in Hawaii, Gov. David Ige said Friday that ‘the last thing we want to do is raise taxes during an economic downturn. The last thing we want to do is have retrenchments or layoffs because we know it will exacerbate the slowdown in our economy. ”
Ige’s appearance on the Spotlight Hawaii video web program on the Honolulu Star Advertiser follows the testimony of Senate manners and resources by Craig Hirai, the state’s director of budget and finance, that unspecified tax increases and ‘revenue improvements’ considered to help fill a projected $ 1.4 billion deficit.
On Friday, Ige remained hopeful that economic aid was on its way.
The Revenue Council said on Thursday that the economy was performing better earlier, showing poor forecasts that it would improve in April, May and June and rise even more in the 2022 financial year.
Ige told Spotlight Hawaii on Friday that the incoming administration of Elected President Joe Biden also brings hope for direct financial aid to states and provinces not included in the latest federal COVID-19 aid package.
“Without any additional federal assistance, we will apparently be looking at adding the unemployment rules to civil servants and civil servants,” Ige said.
Ige originally proposed proposals for thousands of civil servants that were scheduled to begin on January 1, but have now been postponed until July, when the next financial year begins.
Despite signs of economic improvement, Ige said that “the budget crisis is the biggest problem we need to respond to.”
Ige was asked a wide range of questions and suggested the best way to respond to the changing local, national and global COVID-19 situation through its ongoing series of emergency proclamations, which are faster and more flexible.
“If we had to legalize a solution in each case, it would be very difficult and cumbersome,” Ige said.
House Speaker Scott Saiki told Spotlight Hawaii on Wednesday that he intends to enact legislation that will create uniform COVID-19 travel rules to reduce confusion for residents as well as tourists. Saiki also said he would likely enact legislation that would reduce the penalty for not wearing a mask in public from an offense – punishable by a maximum fine of $ 5,000 and a year in prison – to a citation or offense.
The most recent increase in cases after Christmas was expected, Ige said, “but that’s of course worrying.”
“We want to make sure we are not overwhelmed, and that we do not have to worry about ration or doing such things that really endanger our community,” he said.
Most cases occur through community spread that can be reduced by wearing masks, reducing travel, and limiting interactions.
“It’s definitely residents,” Ige said. “The number of cases linked to visitors is still a relatively small percentage of the cases we see.”
“People are not feeling comfortable or safe traveling at the moment,” he said. “And if people were to ask me what my recommendation was, I would say to them, ‘It’s not safe to travel unless you have to go to work, or it’s something that’s really important. ”
Asked about the possibility of a nationwide shutdown to delay the spread of COVID-19, Ige said: ‘I would not hesitate to issue a nationwide restriction if we need it. . ‘
He and the mayors of the country remain in constant contact about COVID-19, but the experiences vary between the different provinces.
“None of us really want to get in a locker room,” he said. “We try to avoid it all.”
Asked about President Donald Trump’s incitement of a mob that stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday to disrupt the counting of election votes, which led to deaths, Ige said:
“It has been a very dark week for our country. I was horrified to see the President of the United States calling on people to act in their own hands, ignore the law, storm the Capitol, and ignore the wishes of the electorate. Voters overwhelmingly supported Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president in free and fair elections. It was the voice of the people. To see the president admonish supporters to storm the Capitol and halt the constitutional certification of results and the declaration of the winner is just a horrible attack on democracy. ”
Ige met Trump and said, ‘He seems to be very reactive. I’m worried about what he may or may not do. … I think we should look at all options to make sure the president does nothing that harms the country’s international reputation, but the most important thing is not to harm our citizens. I think we are all worried that he is not doing something else that would be really disastrous for our country. ”