Measuring the impact of the credits is difficult because the state doesn't release the identities of the companies or track the number of jobs they create. It's impossible to know how many new tech-sector jobs would have been generated without the credits.

"There's no way to tie (the credits) to any of the activity that's happening," said chief economist Paul Brewbaker at the Bank of Hawaii.

"I don't know why it was designed this way with no accountability. We don't know who is getting the credits, what they're doing, or how much money they're getting." ... it is impossible to know how much the credits will end up costing.