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
Many financial and political experts (or people who say they are) are trying to make sense of the defeat of Honolulu’s Charter Question No. 1 in the general election earlier this month. The charter question put before Oahu voters was … Read More
I’m sometimes asked how we can achieve true fiscal reform here in the Aloha State. It’s easy to imagine an end goal, with government spending within its means and with no gargantuan liabilities (the big two are the State’s defined … Read More
The Hawaii State Tax Watch Doggie came to me with an unusual question. “Can the State tax itself?” “I’m not sure,” I replied, “but why would anyone care?” “You remember there’s a bill that the Legislature passed, SB 3201, that … Read More
Honolulu, just like most of the other neighbor Island counties, has passed a 3% addition to the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT).
It had to.
Some time ago, we devoted some of this space to discuss the State Auditor’s findings regarding the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Special Land and Development Fund (SLDF). That fund is the repository of all land rents the State … Read More