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Entries for 'Tom Yamachika'
Sunday, October 30, 2016 |
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Do Some Benefits For State Retirees Still Make Sense?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:14 AM :: 5261 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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In 2016, Hawaii ranked 40th among the states with an OPEB funding ratio of 29.2 percent....
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Sunday, October 23, 2016 |
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What Californians Found Out about Hollywood Credits
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4541 Views :: Tax Credits
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...the tax credit program boosted California’s economy only minimally, if at all....
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Sunday, October 16, 2016 |
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Squirreling Away More Funds for the Zoo
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4838 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics, Taxes
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In March, the Honolulu Zoo was denied re-accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for the first time in its 100-year history....
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Sunday, October 9, 2016 |
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DHHL: Can’t Spend $60M, Asks for $500M
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4788 Views :: DHHL
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One year ago, DHHL was sitting on about $55 million in federal funds unspent, as a result of which HUD stopped providing additional funding....
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Sunday, October 2, 2016 |
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Fuel for Thought
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3713 Views :: Taxes
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...a $4 million federal grant to come up with a “reimagining” of the taxes we currently pay....
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Sunday, September 25, 2016 |
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Don’t Cry for Me, Cupertino
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3824 Views :: Taxes
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...Apple owed Ireland 13 billion euros....
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Sunday, September 18, 2016 |
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Taxation Boards of Review: Facing Extinction
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3597 Views :: Taxes
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In Hawaii, we have a beast called a Taxation Board of Review that is quickly following the dodo bird down the path to extinction....
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Sunday, September 11, 2016 |
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Caldwell's Plan: Make Military Families Pay for Rail
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5671 Views :: Ethics, Rail, Taxes
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It seems that 15%-20% of our surcharge is being paid by “tourists” in the strict sense, but when you include military families and the federal government you do come up with a percentage closer to a third....
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Sunday, September 4, 2016 |
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Mythbusting HART, Part 1
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5533 Views :: Rail, Taxes
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Divide $200 million by 1 million people, and you get $200 a year per person....
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Sunday, August 28, 2016 |
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Why Don’t We Even Look at the Regulation?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4242 Views :: Small Business
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“...Hawaii Regulatory Licensing Reform Act....”
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Sunday, August 21, 2016 |
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GEMS as a Target for Raiding?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 6714 Views :: Energy, Ethics, Taxes
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...it is very tempting when lawmakers find a large cache of unused money....
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Sunday, August 14, 2016 |
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The Little Engine that Could?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3817 Views :: Taxes
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...it’s daunting to add up the numbers that are being bandied about....
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Sunday, August 7, 2016 |
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Aftermath of the Maui Hospital Benefits Veto Override
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 7059 Views :: Maui County, Health Care, Labor
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...what happens if a benefit plan does get disqualified? According to the IRS’ website, there are potentially severe consequences to the employer, the employees, and the plan itself....
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Sunday, July 31, 2016 |
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Time for the Subcontract Deduction to Be Upended? Hafa Adai!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4474 Views :: Taxes
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The special treatment applies only to subcontractors....
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Sunday, July 24, 2016 |
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The “Turn Back the Clock Award”
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4058 Views :: Taxes
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...a tax bill that tries to reverse progress made toward fairness and taxpayer rights....
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Sunday, July 17, 2016 |
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No Tax Hike? Then Wait 20 Years for Your Roads!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4053 Views :: Ethics, Taxes
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...the Code doesn’t require an earmarked tax before an agency can commit....
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Sunday, July 10, 2016 |
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Shady Deals? Honolulu Grants in Aid
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5937 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics
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...it looks bad for individual council members to secure money for such organizations....
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Sunday, July 3, 2016 |
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General Excise Tax Hits Charities Twice
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3840 Views :: Taxes
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...the Department has been raking in the retail rate GET from both the charities and the catering providers....
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Sunday, June 26, 2016 |
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Condominium and Community Associations: File or Else!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4642 Views :: Taxes
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Someone needs to take remedial action before the thermonuclear bomb hits....
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Sunday, June 19, 2016 |
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Charter School Corruption Mirrors State Government
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4145 Views :: Education K-12, Ethics
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Many agencies relish the ability to spend public money with little or no accountability....
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Sunday, June 12, 2016 |
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Why Do We Tax Shipping?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 7910 Views :: Jones Act, Taxes, Cost of Living
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...making the shipping more expensive and thereby directly adding to the cost of living....
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Sunday, June 5, 2016 |
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What Will We Do Next for Maui Hospital Workers?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5943 Views :: Maui County, Health Care, Labor
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"All patients of all ages will be negatively impacted by service cuts, so please support privatization.”
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Sunday, May 29, 2016 |
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Will They Come for You Next?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4089 Views :: Taxes
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A U.S. Supreme Court case decided in April shows us the extent to which some tax agencies will go in order to enforce their laws....
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Sunday, May 22, 2016 |
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How Taxes Work
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4394 Views :: Taxes
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Every day, ten men go out for dinner....
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Sunday, May 15, 2016 |
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Organically Grown Tax Credits on Way to Governor
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5103 Views :: Agriculture, GMOs
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If this credit does indeed become law, expect to see a lot of begging and pleading....
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Sunday, May 8, 2016 |
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Transient Oriented Schools: Impacting Housing Costs
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5136 Views :: Education K-12, Rail
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Forced exactions to fund our government don’t always come from taxing agencies....
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Sunday, May 1, 2016 |
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Much Ado About Nothing – The Hawaii Legislature Edition
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5028 Views :: Energy, Ethics
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Today we are looking at a bill in our Legislature that contains nothing....
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Sunday, April 24, 2016 |
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Organically Growing Tax Credits
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 6798 Views :: Agriculture, Tax Credits, GMOs
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Renewable fuel proponents took another shot this year at enacting a renewable fuels credit....
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Sunday, April 17, 2016 |
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Begging for a Piece of the Hotel Room Tax Pie
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3359 Views :: Taxes
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On Friday, April 1, April Fool’s Day, a respectable delegation of county politicians gathered in the House Finance Committee hearing room....
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Sunday, April 10, 2016 |
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Hawaii Fuel Tax: Schizophrenia in Motion
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3614 Views :: Taxes
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December 31, 2015 not only marked the end of the top Hawaii individual income tax rates, but also of some fuel tax provisions....
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Sunday, April 3, 2016 |
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Low Real Property Tax Is a Bad Thing?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3725 Views :: Taxes
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One of the more interesting bills still alive and being considered this session, is one that would commission a study on the effects of Hawaii’s low real property taxes....
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Sunday, March 27, 2016 |
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Can Illegal TVRs be Taxed?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3248 Views
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...it seems a bit much to ask the brokers to be policemen for the counties ....
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Thursday, March 24, 2016 |
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Lawsuit Dismissed: State’s 10% Rail Tax Skim Stands
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:17 PM :: 5052 Views :: Rail, Taxes
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"Judge Nacino’s ruling doesn’t say that no problem exists, but just says that his court isn’t the one that can fix it”
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Sunday, March 20, 2016 |
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Could You Please Pick Up That Pencil?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3480 Views :: Taxes
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...the Department of Taxation and its customer service, or lack thereof....
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Sunday, March 13, 2016 |
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Regressivity
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4326 Views :: Taxes
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...the lowest 20% of our population pays 13.4% of its income in state and local taxes, while the top 1% pays 7.0%....
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Sunday, March 6, 2016 |
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Tax Conformity: Can We Make It Move?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 3660 Views :: Taxes
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In this context, conformity means similarity to the federal tax code....
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Sunday, February 28, 2016 |
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Notice Overkill?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4165 Views :: Taxes
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...This repetitive idiocy can cost lots of taxpayer money very quickly....
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Sunday, February 21, 2016 |
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General Excise Tax at 6%?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4663 Views :: Taxes
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Our Legislature is in full swing now and is actively considering a number of bills that will increase our cost of living in Hawaii....
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Sunday, February 14, 2016 |
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Solving the Online Tax Dodge with Cookies?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4843 Views :: Small Business, Taxes
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Every year, lawmakers seeking to fund their favorite programs or services inevitably ask themselves....
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Sunday, February 7, 2016 |
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GEMS to Cool Classrooms?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 6650 Views :: Education K-12, Energy, Taxes
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Apparently GEMS is an attractive target for raiding because a 2014 bond issue raised $150 million for the program and little, if any, capital has been deployed to date....
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Sunday, January 31, 2016 |
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Gambling on a Hawaiian Tribe
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 9046 Views :: Akaka Bill, DHHL, Gambling, OHA
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...allowing a lottery in Hawaii could open the door to other things....
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Sunday, January 24, 2016 |
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Tax Is for the Birds
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 3826 Views :: Taxes
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...he released seven chickens in the revenue office lobby....
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Sunday, January 17, 2016 |
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Buy America! For an extra $3M – this time
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 3993 Views :: Rail
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The low bidder for the Kamehameha Highway Stations Group appeared to be Watts Constructors, which bid $112.7 million for the project. The job went to Nan Inc., which bid $115.8 million. Why did that happen?....
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Sunday, January 10, 2016 |
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Unfriendly Skies?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4028 Views :: Taxes
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Serious students of history may wonder what is going on. There is, after all, a federal law that prevents Hawaii taxes from touching an airline’s gross income....
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Sunday, January 3, 2016 |
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Permanent Internet Tax Freedom
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 3799 Views :: Taxes
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Hawaii was one of fifteen states that were grandfathered....
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Sunday, December 27, 2015 |
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Delays Upon Delays at DHHL
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4864 Views :: DHHL
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DHHL was listed as having $55 million in federal housing funds awarded for Native Hawaiians but unspent, resulting in HUD suspending additional funding....
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Sunday, December 20, 2015 |
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GEMS: Gets Everyone’s Money Swiftly
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 6875 Views :: Energy, Tax Credits, Taxes
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...our government has forced our utilities to jack up our electric bills to pay for this financing program that, to date, has not been able to underwrite a single kilowatt....
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Sunday, December 13, 2015 |
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An Early Christmas Present from IRS to Heald Students
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4563 Views :: Higher Education, Taxes
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Students often owed $40,000 or more in college loans – holding a degree they claimed was inadequate at best....
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Sunday, December 6, 2015 |
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Please! Spend More!
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 3902 Views :: Hawaii State Government
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...Uncle Sam is giving us money. But we are not spending that money so the federal agencies are saying, “Looks like you don’t need this, so why should we give you any more?”....
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Sunday, November 29, 2015 |
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Rail: Thumbing Our Nose at the Feds
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 5015 Views :: Rail, Taxes
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...the Honolulu City Council is considering an ordinance to extend the rail tax....
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