We have recently passed the halfway point in the current legislative session. Many of the more outlandish or ruinous tax proposals have fallen by the wayside. Many tax proposals remain, mainly having to do with tax relief or credits. There … Read More
“Lucky you live Hawaii,” the saying goes. Long-time readers of this column may chuckle at that because we have been pointing out lots of ways the government here could be improved. But sometimes our sister States get themselves into big … Read More
Here in Hawaii, we officially have a love-hate relationship with tourism. How do we love it? Look no further than the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The HTA was established through legislation in 1998 (Act 156, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998). The … Read More
One of the more intriguing ideas to cross my desk recently is in Senate Bill 822. It proposes to have certain sections of our state designated as “creative districts.” The idea would be to gather artists, such as painters, photographers, … Read More
In late 2021, the City & County of Honolulu’s Real Property Assessment Division inspectors took a look at several parcels of land on which solar farms and other renewable energy projects had been built. The inspectors noted that the land … Read More
At around this time of year, the Japanese celebrate a festival known as Setsubun. While there are regional variations on how to celebrate it, many of them involve roasted beans and an Oni, or demon. According to tradition, people in … Read More
Our Legislature’s 2023 session is definitely cranked up now. Committees are revving up and sending out gobs of notices of hearing for the bills before them. The Legislature is dealing with over 3,000 bills introduced this year, definitely a lot … Read More
Governor Josh Green recently gave his State of the State address. His office and his agencies dropped a bill package into the legislative hopper. It really feels like we’re in the legislative session now! Bills introduced as part of the Governor’s Package … Read More
The Hawaii State Tax Watch Doggie told me that he can convince me that tax cuts for everyone, such as some of the bold cuts that Governor Green is proposing, are not advisable for us today. (Actually, he can’t really … Read More
The elections have been held. We know who the new Representatives and Senators are. The Hawaii legislative session doesn’t open until Wednesday, January 18th, but you’d better believe that legislators have been busy already. Unlike in Washington, D.C., our House … Read More