Guam - With the ever-rising costs of utilities on island, Senator Tom Ada has introduced legislation he hopes would provide additional rate relief for increasing power bills. Bill 489 would repeal the annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) charge currently assessed to the Guam Power Authority and rids a 27-year-old law that, if implemented, would result in another rate increase for residential and business ratepayers.

The senator told KUAM News, "So in that case this really represents a double-taxation on many of the people in the community and it doesn't make sense, its unjustified and we need to repeal that law."

The current law requires GPA, the Port Authority and the airport to pay $875,000 annually as a reimbursement to the General Fund for benefits received from services provided by various government agencies.

The repeal would also impact those agencies as well.