HONOLULU -- Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann on Wednesday said that any taxes the state collects for the city must be returned to the city.

The issue is over the 0.05 percent increase in the General Excise Tax for the planned mass transit system.

The state is collecting the tax because it already has a system in place. It is taking 10 percent for administration costs, but tax officials said the costs are much lower.

The mayor said the collected money must be used for what it was intended for.

"That's $300 million according to their estimates. That's going to be accumulated over 15 years that could help build a spur quicker and sooner rather than later," Hannemann said.

The mayor referred to expanding the original Ala Moana to Kapolei transit plan to places like Waikiki and University of Hawaii. He said the issue will take a couple of years to sort out.

Hannemann also blasted a UH traffic study that was presented to state lawmakers on Tuesday.

The study promoted four traffic alternatives: building elevated toll lanes on the freeway, a bus rapid transit system on King and Beretania streets, building under passes at four busy intersections and car ferries from Ewa to the airport.

"All those ideas have been studied before. They have been broached before, and if they had any kind of momentum or support, they would have gone much further," Hannemann said. "It's just another attempt to obstruct what people want. They don't want any more studies. They want action."

The report said the alternatives would cost just over half as much as the planned $3.7 billion rail transit system and cut commute times by 50 percent. The rail system is projected to cut travel time by 6 percent.