Recently, there has been fierce debate over Bill 42 before the Honolulu City Council. Here’s the background: In 2007, the City passed Ordinance 07-001, which says that the Honolulu rail project would be funded only with proceeds of the general … Read More
Today we look at a case now pending in the Hawaii Supreme Court that may give us some insight on county real property taxes and their limits. Once upon a time there were a couple of companies that constructed some … Read More
This case was brought by Andrew Walden, the publisher of Hawaii Free Press, against Hi’ilei Aloha LLC, Ho’okele Pono LLC, and Hi’ipaka LLC, limited liability companies that are each wholly owned by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. We’ve written about … Read More
On October 18, 2018, the Supreme Court of Hawaii held oral argument on a petition by the four counties to invalidate the “Con-Am,” namely the constitutional amendment ballot measure that would allow the State to slap a “surcharge,” essentially an … Read More
This case is about wind turbines mounted on high ground in Maui. The County assessed real property tax on the value of the turbines, contending that they are improvements to land. The Tax Appeal Court and the Intermediate Court of … Read More
This week, we look at another provision that was passed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention to assure our fiscal health—and what our lawmakers have done to marginalize it. As we mentioned in June, Hawaii Constitution Article VII, sections 8 and 9 … Read More
The Department will hold three public hearings on Friday, October 19, 2018, at the Princess Ruth Keelikolani Building, Room 310, 830 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, HI 96813, beginning at 9:00 a.m., to allow the public to comment on the proposed adoption … Read More
Those of us who are getting along in years may remember the “general income tax credit,” a line on our state income tax return where we could claim a one-dollar ($1) credit. The saga of this credit tells us a … Read More
One article that recently appeared in the Star-Advertiser was titled, “State forgoing millions in federal reimbursements.” The state agency referred to in that article was our Department of Education. We have children from indigent families in our school system. Some … Read More