BUSINESS BRIEFS
House wants gas cap gone
Advertiser Staff
House members yesterday proposed repealing Hawai'i's gasoline price-cap law, effective July 1.
The proposal was made during a conference with Senate colleagues. The Senate remains in favor of a measure that would suspend the cap, with a mechanism to bring it back if prices exceed a certain level. Both were scheduled to resume discussions tomorrow.
REGULAR GOING HIGHER — AGAIN
The maximum wholesale price for gasoline will rise 14 cents to nearly $2.59 a gallon Monday for regular on O'ahu, the state Public Utilities Commission announced yesterday.
That price excludes taxes and retail markup. Hawai'i sets a ceiling on wholesale prices but does not regulate retail prices. Including Monday's hike, the wholesale price cap will have risen 41 cents a gallon over three weeks.
STATE TAX RETURN DEADLINE IS TODAY
The state Department of Taxation is reminding taxpayers that today is the deadline to file state tax returns.
The department will provide curbside drop-off service for last-minute filers from 5 p.m. to midnight at the Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani Building on both the Punchbowl and Halekauwila Street entrances.
NCL ACCEPTS NEW CRUISE SHIP
NCL Corp. today took delivery of its largest U.S.-flagged ship, Pride of Hawai'i, which is scheduled to begin interisland cruises in June.
Meyer Werft, the shipyard that built the vessel, handed over the ship in a ceremony in Eemshaven, Netherlands. The delivery was postponed from April 12 because a technical problem in the ship's propeller system had to be repaired.
NCL president and CEO Colin Veitch said the line's four ships in Hawai'i will bring about half a million passengers a year to the Islands.
