By Lowell L. Kalapa It appears that goals other than what is good for the people of Hawaii have dictated what the economic recovery medicine should be rather than what is truly good for the future of our community. Unfortunately, … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa Last week, we took a look at the general excise tax rate increase proposed by the Economic Revitalization Task Force that would hike the rate from 4% to 5.35% and noted that it was the “effective” … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa One of the major hurdles facing the recommendations of the Economic Revitalization Task Force is the component that proposes to raise the general excise tax rate from 4% to 5.35%. Although the proponents of the … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa An interesting facet of life here in Hawaii seems to have manifest as a result of the fervor to convince the public that the results of the Economic Revitalization Task Force are the best thing in … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa One gets a sense that with all the hype and muscle behind the Economic Revitalization Task Force, there seems to be an air of desperation as this event is termed a window of opportunity and a … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa Since the report of the Economic Revitalization Task Force was released several weeks ago, we have received numerous requests for an evaluation of the report. However, because there is a dearth of information about the actual … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa Although the Economic Revitalization Task Force appears to have usurped one of the alternatives for funding the debt service of the convention center, it by no means rules out the possibility that lawmakers may still tap … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa Last week we took a look at the history of how the TAT or hotel room tax came to be and why it was adopted after many long years of opposition by the hotel industry. Last … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa Either memory fails or people who are in the legislature haven’t looked up the history, but believe it or not the current hotel room tax, now known as the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), was adopted with … Read More
By Lowell L. Kalapa It is interesting to listen to the reactions of elected officials to the recommendations being made by the (what I call the grunts and the groans) people who have served on the Working Groups of the … Read More