Taxes

...Hawaii has 12 brackets, the most of any state, followed by California and Missouri, each with 10....

...but income tax is up 12.4% and TAT is up 16.7%....

...For a long time, I was wondering what the authors of 07-001 were smoking....

Many Hawaii taxpayers breathed a sigh of relief after the state Supreme Court on Oct. 19 voided a ballot question that would’ve allowed the state to raise taxes....

...Hawaii has a graduated-rate income tax but doubles its brackets to avoid a marriage penalty....

...a case now pending in the Hawaii Supreme Court that may give us some insight on county real property taxes and their limits....

...a prior Hawaii Supreme Court case, Cieri v. Leticia Query Realty, 80 Haw. 54 (1995), said, “[R]eal estate is, particularly in Hawai`i, both scarce and expensive. As a result, the purchase of real estate or a residence likely is the largest ‘investment’ a person in Hawai`i may make in a lifetime.”....

...Ranking Property Taxes on the 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index....

...It’s time to open a real dialogue in our state and work together to find real and lasting solutions for education....

...The executive committee voted unanimously to continue its commitment to address issues of concern to the people of Hawaii, starting with public education....

...another provision that was passed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention to assure our fiscal health—and what our lawmakers have done to marginalize it....

...the lambs (the voters and taxpayers) didn't have much of a say as usual, and portions of the arguments revealed what these folks think about the intelligence of the average Hawaii voter....

...HSTA members should note that their leadership has been played for the fools that they are....

...even a Hawaii Supreme Court Justice isn’t sure who is supposed to pay....

...only Washington State taxes the poor more than Hawaii....

... There was laughter heard from the audience ....

...Hawaii 24th....

...law professor Randall Roth and entrepreneur Stanley Lau are leading a community movement that says the measure will actually hurt teachers and our school children....

...The Aloha State, one of Kiplinger's top ten least tax-friendly states, is known for its high cost of living — and high taxes....

...The poorest-performing states on this year’s individual income tax component are New Jersey, California, New York, Hawaii, and Minnesota....

...It is very tempting for a DOE administrator to think, “There’s no benefit for us if we do all this work because the Legislature needs to fund us anyway...."

...The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument on the proposed constitutional amendment on Thursday, October 18 at 8:45 a.m. at Aliʻiōlani Hale....

...Parents for Public Schools of Hawaii was Founded in 2009 when Hawaii public schools were closed for 17 “Furlough Fridays”....

...Those opposed to the constitutional amendment attending the news conference today stood outside a modest, family-owned walk-up apartment on Date Street, valued at approximately $1.5 million, to draw attention to the type of investment properties that would be impacted by the new tax....

...Tuesday, Oct. 2 from 7 to 8 a.m....

...This law, which we have discussed before, recently has been used to create a “school impact district” that goes from Kalihi to Ala Moana.... 

...The Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a nonprofit taxpayer watchdog organization, together with 14 other organizations, businesses, and individuals, submitted a court filing supporting the Counties’ request that the Hawaii Supreme Court void the ballot measure for school funds....

...Hawaii 4th-worst 'Individual Income Tax'....

...A proposed state “surcharge” on “investment real property” to fund public education could result in county property taxes statewide going up by an average of $21,005....

...advocates of the so-called education tax have been strangely quiet about how much it will be....

...the ballot question doesn’t say anything at all about tax.  Does that make the ballot question misleading or deceptive?....  

...​How High Are State and Local Tax Collections in Your State?....

...the City is giving the exemption to 342 homes and forgoing taxation on $600 million in property value, translating to a revenue loss exceeding $2 million....

...Two public forums have been set to help educate voters....

...For FY 2019, cumulative collections of the GET are up by 0.4% from last fiscal year....

...Hawaii’s sales tax base is broader than economists recommend, applying not just to final consumer products and services, but also to many business-to-business transactions. This results in multiple layers of taxation on the same product or service....

...These days, our General Excise Tax (GET) contains exemptions and reduced rates that are supposed to reflect commercial reality but often contain leaps of faith....

...Hawaii ranks 41st collecting $76 per capita....

...The best laid plans, we are told, often go awry ... “Especially when it comes to politicians counting on revenue from tax hikes.”....

...After amended complaints were filed, the state Office of Elections said the ballot will not have a title....

...How long do you think it takes between buying a home on Kauai and having the “home exemption” effective for real property tax there?....

...Understanding the constitutional amendment questions on the ballot....

...An "education tax" proposal similar to Hawaii's was held back from voters for being vague....

...In Hawaii, we are now looking at one of the most popular of all tax solutions: passing the costs to a nebulous “other.”....

...State should proceed only after making legislative changes....

...To date, HIDOE has collected a combined $4.7 million in school impact fees in Leeward Oahu, West Maui and Central Maui....

...Maybe it’s just a question of semantics....

Back in 2014, we wrote in this space about a nasty Honolulu City & County rule involving real property tax appeals....

...talk of “recovery plans,” new bonds and property tax dollars allocated to rail inevitably raises the spectre of new rail taxes....

... Hawaii gas taxes average $0.4788 per gallon ....