Monday, June 30, 2025
Hawai'i Free Press

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Entries for 'Tom Yamachika'

Sunday, June 29, 2025
Twenty Years of Nickels
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 749 Views :: Environment, Small Business, Taxes

... the fund has swollen to over $50 million ....

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Sunday, June 22, 2025
Dam Special Fund
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 467 Views :: Ethics, Agriculture, Land Use

... Our state budget already is in chaos, and adding more workarounds and sleight of hand will not make things better! ....

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Sunday, June 15, 2025
Intent to Veto
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 616 Views :: Taxes

... two tax bills are on the list ....

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Sunday, June 8, 2025
The Unseen Stopper Committees
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 528 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government

... money chairs’ macabre tradition ....

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Sunday, June 1, 2025
Tax Liens: Light at the End?
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 702 Views :: Hawaii History, Taxes

... Before 2009, Hawaii had no statute of limitations on the collection of taxes ....

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Sunday, May 25, 2025
2025 Legislative Special Funds -- 0 for 86
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 750 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government

... out of the eighty-six special and revolving funds reviewed, not one of them met the statutory criteria ....

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Sunday, May 18, 2025
2025 Legislative Also-Rans
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 802 Views :: Hawaii State Government

... a few bills that passed both houses of the legislature, but did not make it through conference, may come back to haunt us next year .... 

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Monday, May 12, 2025
2025 Legislative Wrap-Up
By Tom Yamachika @ 3:05 AM :: 904 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes

... there were a few tax increases and a bill that is kind of a tax cut ....

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Sunday, May 4, 2025
The Major Raid that Wasn’t
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1138 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government

... Senate Draft 2 of the bill proposed to raid ninety-seven special funds for $320M  ....

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Sunday, April 27, 2025
HB1175: Small Victory Over Procedural Trap
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 857 Views :: Taxes

... It’s a genuine procedural trap ....

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Sunday, April 20, 2025
HB1369: Category Killer
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1167 Views :: Small Business, Taxes

"...all of the negotiations and conversations take place behind closed doors...."

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Sunday, April 13, 2025
Supporting Government’s Central Services—the Grand Skim of Things
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1421 Views :: Hawaii State Government

... “The Grand Skim of Things” ....

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Sunday, April 6, 2025
Taxing Capital Gains
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1334 Views :: Taxes

... If Auntie’s kids sell her house for a $500,000 gain to provide money for her to go to a nursing home, for example, the tax will fall on her the same as anyone who earns $500,000 in one year ....

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Sunday, March 30, 2025
You Want to Raise the TAT by HOW Much?
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1266 Views :: Taxes, Tourism

... the bills replace the current 10.25% tax rate with a blank ....

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Sunday, March 23, 2025
The New Tax Cuts Website
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1094 Views :: Taxes

... in big bold type it screams ....

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Sunday, March 16, 2025
SB1434: Universal Vax for Hawaii
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1141 Views :: Health Care, Taxes

... a new assessment (a new tax) against health plans and health insurers ....

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Sunday, March 9, 2025
Lien on Me
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1078 Views :: Taxes

... a nasty little device used by tax agencies ....

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Sunday, March 2, 2025
HB202: A Stealthy Unemployment Insurance Tax Hike
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1195 Views :: Labor, Small Business, Taxes, Cost of Living

... multiplying the result by 150% ....

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Sunday, February 23, 2025
TAT Is Not Duct Tape
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1024 Views :: Taxes, Tourism

... some lawmakers think the TAT fixes everything ....

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Sunday, February 16, 2025
Candy Crush
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1363 Views :: Small Business, Taxes, Cost of Living

... it’s being pushed very hard as a sweet deal, but it has the potential to really stomp our economy ....

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Sunday, February 9, 2025
Dedicated Funding?!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1127 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes

... There.  Is.  No.  Such.  Thing.  As.  A.  Dedicated.  Funding.  Source!  ....

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Sunday, February 2, 2025
Hold On to Our Gains!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 910 Views :: Taxes

... highlights and low lights on some of the shenanigans ....

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Sunday, January 26, 2025
Those Nickels Add Up!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1352 Views :: Environment, Ethics, Hawaii State Government

... ripe for raiding ....

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Sunday, January 19, 2025
Climate Resiliency
By Tom Yamachika @ 11:21 AM :: 1043 Views :: Maui County, Hawaii State Government

... Big funds with large amounts of money sitting around become, now or over time, tempting targets for lawmakers to raid or divert ....

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Sunday, January 12, 2025
Case Dismissed—For Now
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1068 Views :: Taxes

... document that directed staff at the Department of Taxation to use the negligence penalty, a penalty of 25% of the tax due, against taxpayers who receive requests for documents from a tax auditor ....

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Sunday, January 5, 2025
Tax Word Find
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 799 Views :: Taxes

... Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! ....

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Sunday, December 29, 2024
Hoarding More School Impact Fees
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1664 Views :: Education K-12, Development, Taxes

... $29 million lying around doing nothing ....

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Sunday, December 22, 2024
Empty Homes Tax--Tug of War
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1265 Views :: Honolulu County, Taxes

... Deferred doesn’t mean dead ....

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Sunday, December 15, 2024
Qualified Charitable Distributions
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1195 Views :: Tax Credits, Taxes

“What’s the biggest break that today’s tax code gives us?”

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Sunday, December 8, 2024
The Upcoming 2025 Session
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1288 Views :: Hawaii State Government

... the 2025 legislative session is approaching with blinding speed ....

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Sunday, December 1, 2024
Deferred Maintenance
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1305 Views :: Hawaii State Government

... it has to stay broken ....

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Sunday, November 24, 2024
Legislative History
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1320 Views :: Hawaii History, Hawaii State Government

... a comprehensive, and somewhat intense guide ....

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Sunday, November 17, 2024
Charging Convenience Fees for Our Kids
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1611 Views :: Education K-12

... when money goes into the account, the folks providing the online account pinch a little ....

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Sunday, November 10, 2024
Washington Monument Strategy
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1773 Views :: Education K-12, Hawaii State Government

... see how this strategy plays out in real life ....

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Sunday, November 3, 2024
The Cato Report Cards
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 1269 Views :: Taxes

... This year, 2024, is the first report card for the Green administration ....

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Sunday, October 27, 2024
Self-Insurance Is No Insurance
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1702 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Politicians, Cost of Living

... One of our newer lawmakers recently penned a piece, “Consumer-Centered Property Insurance Can Help Condo Owners” ....

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Sunday, October 20, 2024
Autocorrect, Now Pay Up!
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1507 Views :: Ethics, Taxes

... Department of Taxation computers don't necessarily tell you when they change some of the information that’s been input ....

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Sunday, October 13, 2024
The $4 Billion Maui Wildfire “Settlement”
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1796 Views :: Maui County, Energy, Land Use

... There have been a lot of sharp words in the news lately ....

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Sunday, October 6, 2024
More on the Empty Homes Tax
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1815 Views :: Honolulu County, Taxes, Cost of Living

... Bill 46 (2024) is the current version moving forward in the Council. ...

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Sunday, September 29, 2024
I. T. E. M. (Incompetence Takes Everyone’s Money)
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1651 Views :: Education K-12, Labor

... employees were required to go to their principal’s office and sign a promissory note ....

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Sunday, September 22, 2024
Hawaii Budget Primer
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1404 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes

... the discussion there is almost entirely focused on taxes ....

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Sunday, September 15, 2024
State Workers Have Immunity – Even Without Being Trump
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 2285 Views :: Ethics, Judiciary, Taxes

... employees at our State, and the Department of Taxation in particular, have a lot of immunity too ....

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Sunday, September 8, 2024
Give Me Your Documents
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1800 Views :: Taxes

... I expect the Department’s bill to resurface in the 2025 legislative session ....

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Sunday, September 1, 2024
Protest Payments
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 3168 Views :: Taxes

... it provides a basis for the courts to get involved if there is some question as to the legitimacy of any fee or tax ....

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Sunday, August 25, 2024
A California “Fix” Back to ‘66
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 2351 Views :: Small Business, Taxes

... a formula that exists in the laws of Hawaii, California, and several other states ....

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Sunday, August 18, 2024
Another Emergency Proclamation for … Insurance
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 4093 Views :: Cost of Living

... If you can’t get insurance on the unit, you can’t get financing ....

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Saturday, August 10, 2024
A Legislative Analyst Office Created Decades Ago That Still Doesn’t Exist
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 4024 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes

... an Office of the Legislative Analyst that is supposed to come up with revenue estimates for significant tax and spending bills ....

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Saturday, August 3, 2024
Researching State Tax Law
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1574 Views :: Ethics, Tax Credits, Taxes

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

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Saturday, July 27, 2024
Why Can’t We Feed Keiki Local Food?
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1485 Views :: Education K-12, Agriculture

... a memo went out from DoE central office to all schools directing them NOT to apply for any of the funding ....

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Saturday, July 20, 2024
Why an Annual GET Return?
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1242 Views :: Small Business, Taxes

... For those of you who pay GET, here’s a quick quiz....

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