|
Entries for 'Tom Yamachika'
Sunday, December 9, 2018 |
|
The County Strikes Back (part 3)
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5663 Views :: Maui County, Taxes, Tourism
|
...We continue with our series about a timeshare association suing the county, with the county then back assessing the association for $10 million....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, December 2, 2018 |
|
The County Strikes Back (part 2)
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5753 Views :: Maui County, Taxes, Tourism
|
...Timeshare association sues county; county then back assesses association for $10 million....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Monday, November 26, 2018 |
|
The County Strikes Back (part 1)
By Tom Yamachika @ 2:03 PM :: 5776 Views :: Maui County, Taxes, Tourism
|
...a long and hotly litigated property tax case from Maui....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, November 18, 2018 |
|
Walden versus OHA’s LLCs
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5706 Views :: Ethics, OHA
|
...These companies received cash and property, including 1,600+ acres of land in Waimea Valley, from OHA....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, November 11, 2018 |
|
Oh? Can’t We Keep HART’s Funding Sources “Pure”?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5040 Views :: Rail, Taxes
|
...For a long time, I was wondering what the authors of 07-001 were smoking....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, November 4, 2018 |
|
It’s Real Property Because We Said So!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 6230 Views :: Maui County, Energy, Taxes
|
...a case now pending in the Hawaii Supreme Court that may give us some insight on county real property taxes and their limits....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, October 28, 2018 |
|
Take-Aways from the “Con-Am” Argument
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 3709 Views :: Taxes
|
...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.”....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, October 21, 2018 |
|
Do We Really Have a Spending Ceiling?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4648 Views :: Hawaii History, Taxes
|
...another provision that was passed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention to assure our fiscal health—and what our lawmakers have done to marginalize it....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, October 14, 2018 |
|
General Income Tax Credit: How Legislators Subverted Will of 1978 ConCon
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5250 Views :: Hawaii History, Tax Credits
|
...The saga of this credit tells us a little about a bold move undertaken in the 1978 Constitutional Convention and our lawmakers’ reaction....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, October 7, 2018 |
|
Guess Which Agency May Be Forgoing Millions in Federal Dollars?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 5120 Views :: Education K-12, Health Care, Taxes
|
...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...."
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 30, 2018 |
|
Guess Which Agency Can Impose State Tax?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 7195 Views :: Education K-12, Development, Taxes, Cost of Living
|
...This law, which we have discussed before, recently has been used to create a “school impact district” that goes from Kalihi to Ala Moana....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, September 29, 2018 |
|
HSTA Rent Tax: 14 Groups Support Counties Appeal to Supreme Court
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:36 PM :: 4761 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
|
...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....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 23, 2018 |
|
Say It’s a Tax!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5348 Views :: Education K-12, Ethics, Taxes
|
...the ballot question doesn’t say anything at all about tax. Does that make the ballot question misleading or deceptive?....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 16, 2018 |
|
Historic Homes--$2M Tax Exemption Gift to 342 Households
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4225 Views :: Honolulu County, Taxes
|
...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....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 9, 2018 |
|
Taking Exemptions Without Really Knowing
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 3355 Views :: Taxes
|
...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....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 2, 2018 |
|
Kauai Cash Grab: Long wait for Homeowners Property Tax Exemption
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5909 Views :: Kauai County, Ethics, Taxes
|
...How long do you think it takes between buying a home on Kauai and having the “home exemption” effective for real property tax there?....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, August 26, 2018 |
|
Raising Taxes Means Decreasing Prices?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5272 Views :: Taxes, Cost of Living
|
...Maybe it’s just a question of semantics....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, August 19, 2018 |
|
Cashing In on Production Credits
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 3929 Views :: Tax Credits
|
...48 productions registered for the credit, with estimated qualified expenditures north of $268 million in exchange for $55 million in tax credits....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, August 12, 2018 |
|
Weekends Safe from Cackling Lawyers?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5021 Views :: Honolulu County, Ethics, Taxes
|
Back in 2014, we wrote in this space about a nasty Honolulu City & County rule involving real property tax appeals....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, August 5, 2018 |
|
Wayfair – Playing Catch-Up
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5295 Views :: Small Business, Taxes
|
...One good thing is that Hawaii has made its position known early, so that those businesses who choose to compete in our marketplace will know what the rules are....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 29, 2018 |
|
The Wayfair Switch in Time
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4695 Views :: Small Business, Taxes
|
...In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Wayfair v. South Dakota case. It was a huge turning point in constitutional law involving the ability of states to tax “online sellers”....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 22, 2018 |
|
Who Can We Beat Up with Property Tax?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 3940 Views :: Taxes
|
....the possibility of new state-mandated property taxes....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 15, 2018 |
|
HB2748: $500,000,000 Hole in Budget
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5852 Views :: Development, Tax Credits
|
... $200 million, or most of it, is headed out the door with no visible means of getting it back.....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 8, 2018 |
|
If You Don’t Rock the Boat, How Do You Change Its Direction?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4787 Views :: First Amendment, Hawaii State Government
|
...When many of us in Hawaii grew up, we were taught to go with the flow....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, July 1, 2018 |
|
It’s Not Easy Bein’ — an Employer
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4813 Views :: Labor, Small Business
|
...Before I hire the worker, I need to comply with laws saying what I can and can’t ask the prospective employee....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, June 17, 2018 |
|
Can’t You Just Change the Agenda?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5139 Views :: Ethics, Rail
|
...Recently, State Auditor Les Kondo shocked the public and some Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) Board members when he charged, at a HART board meeting, that HART employees had been required to record all interviews with State Auditor personnel....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, June 3, 2018 |
|
The California Stupidity Fund, Part 2
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5355 Views :: Tax Credits, Taxes
|
...Now, the IRS and the U.S. Treasury have indicated that they are going to weigh in....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, May 27, 2018 |
|
We Can’t See It or Touch It, But We Can Tax It!
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5125 Views :: Small Business, Taxes
|
...HB 2416 applies Hawaii Use Tax to intangible property....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, May 20, 2018 |
|
Finding the Magic Bullet: City’s Share of Rail Administrative Costs
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 6064 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail, Taxes
|
...In a recent hearing in the Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee, council leaders say that they might have found a “magic bullet”....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, May 13, 2018 |
|
Reactionary Reaction to Resort Fees
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 4990 Views :: Taxes, Tourism
|
...SB 2699 proposes to make “resort fees” subject to our Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT)....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, May 6, 2018 |
|
Letting the Genie Out of the Bottle…for Our Keiki?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4968 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
|
...The amendment, if approved by the voters, does not define what investment real property is. Nor does it contain any limitations on the taxing power. Almost all the details are left up to the state legislature....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, April 29, 2018 |
|
HB2432: The Tax Office Said So, So It Must Be True!
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:01 AM :: 4876 Views :: Taxes, Tourism
|
...HB 2432, one of the bills actively being considered this session, proposes to hike the “transient occupancy tax,” or TOT, by an as-yet-unspecified amount....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, April 22, 2018 |
|
Mighty Morphin Power Bills!
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4665 Views :: Ethics, Taxes
|
...lots of surprises as lawmakers press forward....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, April 15, 2018 |
|
220% Conveyance Tax Hike: HB207 Gut n Replace
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 5046 Views :: Ethics, Taxes
|
...The Feds Gave You a Break? Now We, the State, Can Turn the Screws!....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, April 8, 2018 |
|
Can Government Avoid Its Responsibilities with LLCs?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4846 Views :: Ethics, OHA
|
... Can you say 'ankle shackles?' ....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, April 1, 2018 |
|
Financial Planning for a $200M Per Year Deficit?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 3526 Views :: Taxes
|
...why do we have a current state financial plan that spends more than $200 million every year over available revenues?....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, March 25, 2018 |
|
The California Stupidity Fund
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4358 Views :: Taxes
|
...California is now trying to enact a workaround, and some Hawaii lawmakers are actively considering similar legislation....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, March 18, 2018 |
|
An Opportunity for Opportunity Zones
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 4008 Views :: Tax Credits
|
...Ige needs to take action by March 21, 2018 to take advantage of "qualified opportunity zones"....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, March 11, 2018 |
|
Groundhog Day in the Hawaii Senate
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 3670 Views :: Taxes
|
... “It wasn’t that long ago that I was before this same committee testifying on a very similar bill on the very same tax provision, seeking to do the very same thing....”
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, March 4, 2018 |
|
By the Way, Could We Have $50 Million More?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5839 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes, Tourism
|
...In the middle of this process, sometimes a letter from the Governor arrives saying, “We need to make some adjustments...."
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, February 25, 2018 |
|
Teachers Union Grabs for Billion Dollar Slush Fund
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5495 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
|
...Do the problems in our classrooms have anything to do with special funds at all?....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, February 18, 2018 |
|
Trump Tax In Hawaii?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 5575 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes
|
...how to adapt the new federal tax law changes to Hawaii....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, February 11, 2018 |
|
The Value of a Refundable Credit
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 4542 Views :: Tax Credits
|
...In the 2017 legislative session, our legislature passed an earned income tax credit (EITC)....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, February 4, 2018 |
|
How Much Does a Crosswalk Cost?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 3723 Views :: Hawaii State Government
|
...Senate Bill 2004, tells the story of just one signalized crosswalk yet to be built....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, January 28, 2018 |
|
Oops! DoTax Math Error!
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 4223 Views :: Taxes
|
...“math error authority” brings to mind one of the failings in Hawaii’s tax system....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, January 21, 2018 |
|
Small Business Tax Cut: Will Hawaii Legislature Conform?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 3652 Views :: Taxes
|
...lawmakers will be asked to conform our Hawaii income tax law to the federal changes that have taken place in 2017....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, January 14, 2018 |
|
Trump Tax: Will Hawaii Legislature Conform?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 4820 Views :: Taxes
|
...If they don’t, it will be functionally the same as raising taxes....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, January 7, 2018 |
|
GEMS Takes One on the Chin from the PUC
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 7309 Views :: Energy, Tax Credits, Taxes
|
...the PUC has basically said that it expects the program to crash and burn....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, December 31, 2017 |
|
What’s a Carbon Tax?
By Tom Yamachika @ 4:00 AM :: 4164 Views :: Taxes
|
...Recently, the Hawaii Tax Review Commission’s primary consultant, PFM Group, issued a final report to the Commission asking it to review many taxing alternatives, including a $360M per year “carbon tax” on Hawaii consumers....
|
Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|