The state has been trying for years now to figure out whether its tech-industry tax credits have been paying off for Hawai'i's economy.

That's a tough feat — when you're working in the dark.

Information on the effectiveness of what's known as the "Act 221/215 tax-credit program" is hard to come by because the data come from private tax forms and must be aggregated by the state before becoming public.

What cost-benefit information we've gleaned from tax records is outdated by the time it's released — and that situation simply has to change.

Late last year, the state Tax Review Commission released a report based on some of this aggregate data, drawing the conclusion that the program is costly and hasn't produced many jobs. Even if you accept that sour conclusion — and tax-credit proponents in the industry do not — the analysis is based on data now more than three years old.

If the aim is to assess a program that is only authorized for a 10-year span, a three-year lag in data is just unacceptable.

There are bills moving briskly at the Capitol aimed at narrowing the information gap: HB 1631 and SB 848. The primary objective of the final product should be to improve the quality and the timeliness of the information gathered when investors and other beneficiaries of the technology tax credit file their tax forms. The proposal to include more detailed information about the jobs created through this act is a good one.

Some of the refinements were suggested by the Hawai'i Science & Technology Council, which also argues forcefully that the existing data are being misinterpreted. For example, they maintain that the commission's report co-mingled the job-creation tallies for all tech companies. The businesses receiving the tax credits actually have produced a few thousand jobs, rather than a few hundred, they say.

They make a credible case for giving the tax credit more time, enabling the new pool of investment capital it creates to have its anticipated, compounded economic effect.

The new legislation would also provide funds to support the timely collection of tax data, through technology upgrades and staff support.

That's critical. If the state is to move forward on promoting new, well-paying industries, it needs to have all the facts at hand.