Taxes

... Hawaii’s lawmakers listened to the people and did the most effective thing they could to significantly lower our incredibly high cost of living ....

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

... County regulatory reform bills on the move ....

... the key to resolving Hawaii’s housing crisis -- build more homes ....

... this proposed empty homes tax would leave it to the Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services to determine whether a property was truly vacant ....

... Green is the highest-scoring Democrat in this study ....

... Hawaii had a Taxpayer Burden of $16,500, earning it a “D” grade ....

... Bill 46 aims to impose a 3% tax on so-called empty homes across Oahu ....

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

“... In general, it was a terrific year at the legislature, and I never say that ....”

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

... The second most-read article is “Why we left Hawaii” ....

... the largest personal income tax cut in state history ....

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

... the purpose is to reverse Hawaii's historic income tax cuts ....

... 4,700 positions currently unfilled, including more than 100 that have been vacant for over four years ....

... Notably, four of the top five states Hawaii residents moved to—Texas, Washington, Nevada, and Florida—forgo individual income taxes on wage income ....

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

“...Help Maui families by allowing more small homes per lot....”

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

... legislative victories this year in the areas of taxation, housing, healthcare and other issues ....

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

... The surcharge would be equal to 1% of the property’s assessed value for the first year the tax is in effect, 2% for the second year and 3% for all tax years thereafter ....

... tax officials allegedly declined to pursue complaints and reports about certain tax avoiders ....

... it’s important to differentiate between good intentions and good policy ....

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

... After three years of nonpayment, the city would be allowed to seize the property ....

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

“ ... Hawaii goes from being the second worst to one of the best states in terms of taxation .... ”

... HB2025, a historic state income tax cut that will save taxpayers billions of dollars in coming years ....

... Hawaii state legislators voted unanimously to enact a historic tax cut that will save taxpayers more than $5 billion over the next six years ....

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

... Hawaii Council of Revenues recently estimated it expects state tax revenues to total about $9.5 billion this year ....

... Record funding for biosecurity measures approved by the state Legislature this year will expand the state’s efforts to stop the spread of invasive species such as little fire ants, the coconut rhinoceros beetle and coqui frogs ....

... the largest tax cut in Hawaii’s history ....

... Hawaii lawmakers enacted a large income tax cut this year, and major budget reform will begin next year to ensure it stays in place, Gov. Josh Green said ....

... Recently, Governor Green, without much fanfare, signed into law a number of bills that had been proposed by the Department of Taxation ....

... This year our freedoms were expanded with the passage by our state lawmakers of important legislation. Those expansions covered taxes, housing and healthcare ....

"...There's going to be some pain...."

... Here are some of the traps I’ve seen ....

... The young plaintiffs are more likely to move to Las Vegas because of this settlement ....

“...Increasing the maximum value of the credit is a good idea because it would offset some of the effects of increased assessments...."

... Hawaii taxes beer at $0.93 per gallon ....

... there is now, government-wide, about a 30% vacancy rate in the number of authorized positions ....

... Hawaii taxpayers are expected to save about $1.2 billion in 2030 ....

... a household making the median income in Hawaii of around $91,000 that currently owes about $5,300 in income taxes will incrementally see that amount owed go down to $1,600 by 2031 ....

... staffers from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii in attendance at Gov. Josh Green's recent bill-signing ceremonies for historic tax cuts and housing reform ....

... House Finance was persuaded to resurrect SB 1035.  It then went to Conference Committee, and it came up with a version that both houses then passed ....

... Despite the bill's timidity, passage of the bill was still a welcome move .... 

... In a deep-blue bastion where seldom is heard a peep of pushback against tax hikes, Hawaii legislators surprised everybody last month by unanimously approving a bill that is being heralded as the biggest tax cut in state history ....