SUBJECT:  FUEL, Change Earmark on Barrel Tax for Energy Systems Development Special Fund

BILL NUMBER:  SB 1529, SD-2

INTRODUCED BY:  Senate Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Establishes the Hawaii state energy office. Establishes the deputy director of energy. Ends funding for the Hawaii clean energy initiative from the energy security special fund. Increases the distribution of barrel tax revenue to the energy systems development special fund. Appropriates funds from the general fund for the Hawaii state energy office. Earmarks and special funds decrease transparency and accountability.

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SUBJECT:  FUEL, Carbon Emissions Tax; License Tax

BILL NUMBER:  SB 1463, SD-1

INTRODUCED BY:  Senate Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  The bill intends to replace the current barrel tax and fuel tax with a revenue neutral carbon emission tax on the sale of all fuels with carbon content.  This bill forces us to rethink how we now tax fossil fuel.  The current patchwork of different state and local taxes all applying at once leads to unclear and inconsistent messages sent to the taxpaying public, which is not good for implementing social policy regardless of what the policy is. Continue reading SB 1463, SD-1 →

SUBJECT:  FUEL, Earmarks Barrel Tax for EV Charging System Rebate Program

BILL NUMBER:  HB 1585, HD-1

INTRODUCED BY:  House Committee on energy & Environmental Protection

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Establishes an electric vehicle charging system rebate program within DBEDT that provides rebates to persons who install a new electric vehicle charging system or upgrade an existing electric vehicle charging system. Caps the total value of rebates issued each year at an unspecified sum. Creates the electric vehicle charging station rebate program special fund, and feeds it with yet another earmark on the barrel tax. Continue reading HB 1585, HD-1 →

SUBJECT:  FUEL, Carbon Emissions Tax; License Tax

BILL NUMBER:  SB 1463; HB 1459 (Identical)

INTRODUCED BY:  SB by K. RHOADS, RUDERMAN, Baker, S. Chang, Harimoto, Keith-Agaran, Shimabukuro; HB by TARNAS, BROWER, ELI, ICHIYAMA, D. KOBAYASHI, C. LEE, LOWEN, MIZUNO, NAKASHIMA, SAY, TODD, Creagan, Morikawa

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  The bill intends to replace the current barrel tax and fuel tax with a revenue neutral carbon emission tax on the sale of all fuels with carbon content.  This bill forces us to rethink how we now tax fossil fuel.  The current patchwork of different state and local taxes all applying at once leads to unclear and inconsistent messages sent to the taxpaying public, which is not good for implementing social policy regardless of what the policy is.

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SUBJECT:  FUEL, Require Use of Funds in County in Which Collected

BILL NUMBER:  HB 313

INTRODUCED BY: CULLEN, AQUINO, LUKE, YAMANE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Requires that fuel tax revenues deposited into the state highway fund be used in and for the county in which the taxes are collected.

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SUBJECT:  FUEL, Tax Hike

BILL NUMBER:  HB 1467

INTRODUCED BY:  YAMASHITA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Changes the assessment of the state fuel tax from a specified cents per gallon to the greater of a specified cents per gallon or a percentage of the wholesale price per gallon to the retailer, subject to a minimum monetary amount of tax based upon the tax paid by certain retailers. Subjects biodiesel oil to the same tax rates and reporting requirements as diesel oil.

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SUBJECT:  FUEL, Earmarks Barrel Tax for EV Charging System Rebate Program

BILL NUMBER:  HB 1585

INTRODUCED BY:  LOWEN, HOLT, LUKE, QUINLAN, SAIKI, TODD, WILDBERGER, WOODSON

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Establishes an electric vehicle charging system rebate program within DBEDT that provides rebates to persons who install a new electric vehicle charging system or upgrade an existing electric vehicle charging system. Caps the total value of rebates issued each year at an unspecified sum. Creates the electric vehicle charging station rebate program special fund, and feeds it with yet another earmark on the barrel tax.

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SUBJECT:  FUEL, Earmark Barrel Tax to Buy Agricultural Lands

BILL NUMBER:  HB 1270, Proposed SD-2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Adds an earmark on the barrel tax to provide a dedicated funding source for the acquisition of agricultural lands.  Creates a new special fund, the Agricultural Land Acquisition Fund, to do this.

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