For most of us, if we are asked how much money we have (perhaps by a bank or credit union that is considering lending us money), answering the question isn’t terribly difficult. Look up a bank account or two, add … Read More
Here in the City and County of Honolulu, lots of people are out of work, especially in the hospitality industry. At some point the economy will reopen, and people will start occupying hotels again. Then, according to a proposal before … Read More
Here at the Tax Foundation, we watch our state government, and we howl a lot. Often, we don’t know if our message is being heard, or if it’s being taken seriously. A few weeks ago, we complained that multi-million dollar … Read More
Let’s first start by stating the obvious. We’re in trouble. According to the latest forecasts put out by our Council on Revenues, we have a state budget hole of more than 2 billion dollars. This has to be made up … Read More
Imagine that you wake up one day to an awful toothache, and you march into your dentist’s office. But then your dentist says, “Well, you tell me your tooth hurts, but can you prove that you have a cavity?” “Um … Read More
Recently, the University of Hawaii announced that it was going to take steps to combat the anticipated budget shortfall caused by our economic shutdown and the consequent drop in tax revenues. Effective November 1, it will be paying its executive … Read More
We are feverishly trying to spend federal dollars for the common good and busily preparing for a historic election. There are, however, other huge projects in the wings where government agencies are setting up to spend record-setting amounts of money … Read More
On September 15, Governor Ige released his final list of bills he is vetoing from the 2020 legislative session. The list included House Bill 2124, which some people have called the “Revolving Door Bill.” Currently, the State Ethics Code, in … Read More
On Tuesday, September 8, the Tax Foundation was pleased to welcome former Govs. Neil Abercrombie and John Waihee III to the first ever virtual annual meeting of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii. During the Zoom meeting, we had a free-flowing … Read More
In 2016, lawmakers came up with a law requiring the State Auditor to review exemptions, exclusions, and credits in the general excise, public service company, and insurance premium taxes. Under the terms of the law, HRS section 23-71, the existing … Read More