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Hawaii’s eight House Republicans say the state can close its $1.3 billion shortfall without hiking the GET or imposing any “new” tax increases.

They instead proposed a budget plan Thursday that largely relies on savings from extending state furloughs, delaying income tax refunds and tapping into special funds.

GOP lawmakers recommend using the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund ($47 million) and Rainy Day Fund ($46 million), delaying income tax refunds for those who haven’t yet filed ($183 million), and reneging on Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s promise to cover a bigger share of public employee health insurance ($18 million). Those measures would close the state’s approximately $232 million gap for the current fiscal year ending June 30.

The latter two ideas have not been proposed by Democrats or the governor. The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday heard testimony on the state budget draft and committee chairman David Ige said lawmakers have just two options to balance this year’s budget: raid special funds or “completely shut down spending.”

To get through the 2012 and 2013 budget years — which together carry a projected $1 billion deficit — the House GOP is recommending cutting government spending as proposed in the House draft of to save close to $495 million over the two years. Additional proposed spending cuts include extending two-day-a-month furloughs for all state employees except for school teachers and education personnel to save a total of $231.4 million.

The Republicans also put forth what they calls revenue generators. But, most of their revenue measures are essentially short-term loans from the state to itself.

For example, the proposal to delay tax refunds would shift revenue growth into the 2011 fiscal year at the expense of the 2012 fiscal year. And the proposal to borrow $47 million from the hurricane relief fund includes paying it back in fiscal 2013. The balancing effect means the revenue proposals would only generate a total of $52 million combined in fiscal 2012 and 2013.

Other proposed revenue generating measures include eliminating GET exemptions for certain business activities and selling off state-owned lands, including the Aloha Tower Marketplace.

“This budget will not hurt families, it will not hurt jobs and it will not hurt the economy,” Minority Leader Gene Ward told reporters Thursday. “The budget of Hawaii can be balanced without a GET increase.”

Rep. Kimberly Pine added: “It’s important for us to show some ideas to the governor. He’s made clear we are in a crisis … we want to present every idea possible. We know he probably won’t take some of our ideas …but we hope to present some new information.”

An Abercrombie spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Other budget fixes in the GOP plan include:

• Delay state income tax deductions for higher income earners (savings: $17.9 million)
• Send 500 more prisoners to the mainland to eliminate overcrowding (savings: $24 million)
• Institute a partial hiring freeze and allow attrition (savings: $140 million)
• Delay payments of existing 15 percent film production tax credits (savings: $27 million)
• End GET exemption on liquor, tobacco and food sold to cruise ships and airlines traveling to foreign countries (generate: $6.7 million)
• Accept Abercrombie’s proposal to reduce Medicaid services (savings: $75 million)
• Postpone 60-40 health premium payments until 2013 (savings: $18 million)
• Restrict appropriation to University of Hawaii by less than 1 percent (savings: $42.2 million)

The House Republican Caucus launched a Thursday with an interactive budget worksheet that can be downloaded.

“This is our second annual budget, and it’s not perfect, but it’s open for discussion,” Ward said.