A little over twenty years ago, on May 6, 1998, then-Maui Mayor Linda Lingle was speaking to a group of business leaders from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. Before the meeting, she was told that she could speak on … Read More
It’s tough being an employer, especially here in Hawaii. If I am a business, or even a nonprofit, in Hawaii and I want to hire paid staff, there are all kinds of things to consider. Before I hire the worker, … Read More
On Monday, June 25, Governor Ige released his list of bills he intends to veto. On the list is one tax bill, SB 2699, which imposes the transient accommodations tax on “resort fees“ which are very broadly defined of the bill. … Read More
A few days ago, I got my annual emailed reminder from the Social Security folks that they prepared an electronic statement for me – they’ve gone green, so they aren’t sending those statements on paper any more. So, for the … Read More
Recently, State Auditor Les Kondo shocked the public and some Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) Board members when he charged, at a HART board meeting, that HART employees had been required to record all interviews with State Auditor personnel … Read More
If you are a serious student of Hawaii constitutional law, here is a question for you. Where in our state constitution does it say we have to have a balanced budget? The answer appears later in this article. The part … Read More
About three months ago, I wrote about the $10,000 limitation on deductions for state and local tax that is part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In a nutshell, you can only deduct up to $10,000 in … Read More
This week we look at HB 2416, a bill that applies Hawaii Use Tax to intangible property. The Use Tax is a tax designed to protect our local businesses. As a consumer, you often have a choice between buying a … Read More
In a recent hearing in the Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee, council leaders say that they might have found a “magic bullet” – one that they say will get the City’s share of rail funding done painlessly. Here’s the issue. … Read More
One of the bills that has come out of the recently concluded legislative session is SB 2699, which proposes to make “resort fees” subject to our Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT). A “resort fee,” which also goes on your bill if … Read More