Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'

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

... we don’t know what we don’t know ....

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

... 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 ....

... 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 ....

... passing the biggest income tax cut in state history ....

... One of the most persistent myths in Hawaii politics is that you can target a single group with a tax hike and not affect anyone else ....

... This year, the Legislature finally listened to their pleas and passed SB1035 ....

... helping to defeat many measures that would have harmed Hawaii’s economy and added to our already high cost of living ....

... Akina said “the tax cuts are gonna be huge in terms of keeping money in the pockets of people starting next year” .... 

... The best news to come out of it was that our lawmakers passed a major income tax-relief bill, HB2404, which Gov. Josh Green is almost certain to sign because it was part of his much-touted "Green Affordability Plan." ....

“I am concerned that the amicus brief will be perceived as an attempt by OHA to evade accountability to state ethics laws and oversight. Courts have ruled that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a state agency whose leadership and employees are subject to the standards of conduct and behavior expected of all state personnel.” --- OHA Trustee Keli'i Akina

... at least five bills strongly supported by my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii were passed out of conference committees and now will go for final votes at the House and Senate floor sessions ....

... All registered voters in Hawaii are eligible to vote for OHA Trustees ....

... the GET makes practicing in Hawaii so financially challenging, causing many Hawaii doctors to retire or move away ....

... Hawaii’s $1.5 million PLA threshold is now the lowest in the nation ....

... the state’s estate or “death” tax can force their heirs of local businesses to sell off the assets of their companies ....

... State lawmakers took an important first step last year by passing legislation that allowed Hawaii to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact ....

... The developer requested a waiver for the project, but a year later, the permit is still pending ....

"Our decisions impact virtually every area of life on the islands."

...When government is finally saying it is the problem, it’s on the right track to finding a solution....

... Resolution 24-65 contains most of the usual anti-housing rhetoric, and even claims that making it easier to create smaller, more affordable homes would somehow result in more so-called monster homes ....

... a bill moving through the Legislature that would let pedestrians cross the street carefully and responsibly, regardless of whether they are in a crosswalk ....

... monsters lurk behind every corner ....

... CPRs and accessory dwellings units, and how the state’s housing regulations have evolved ....

... a new “administrative directive” that requires all state construction projects worth more than $1.5 million to be performed under so-called project labor agreements ....

... to phase out short-term rentals and impose higher taxes on them ....

... what we need is “the collective will to share the Mauna” ....

... it was only a year ago that state lawmakers had a healthy budget surplus to work with. But then they went on an ill-advised spending spree ....

... inflation means you’re not making any more money, but you’re being taxed a lot more for the money that you’re making ....

... many small tweaks to Hawaii’s zoning and permitting rules that together could make a big dent ....

... the state Division of Financial Institutions has quietly decided to let cryptocurrency companies operate freely in Hawaii ....

... It used to be that you could trust the Legislature to not raise taxes during an election year ....

“...We get used to the low level of economic freedom here in Hawaii, but we don’t realize that that’s the reason our children are leaving...."

... On Sept. 17, 1959, King made a historic visit to Honolulu and addressed the first session of the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives ....

... reduce housing regulations, support reform of the federal Jones Act and cut taxes ....

... Will this be the year that we finally start to see positive big changes — or are we going to see more taxes, more spending, more regulations? ....

... $500 million plan is fine but could be improved to more quickly help displaced fire victims ....

... If you spent part of this week sitting in the dark without any electricity, you probably have some questions about the state’s energy plan ....

... Small, focused policies could free up homebuilders and generate a wave of new housing construction ....

... it’s taken almost half a year to see anything come from the governor’s emergency proclamation ....

... reflecting upon some exciting accomplishments ....

... 2023 featured “challenges galore,” but ....

... Until someone brings up politics ....

... Green has acknowledged that an STR ban would probably result in legal challenges, but he shouldn’t ignore the fact that a back-door ban through a tax hike also could result in legal and political headaches ....

... a roadmap that can help make it happen ....

...there are a few state rules holding them back....

... the state had a huge surplus and many of our lawmakers were going hog-wild trying to spend it ....

... This partnership between OHA and DHHL is a positive start, but there are other possibilities worth exploring such as ....

... looking for a “win-win” result ....