Small Business

... For 40 years, the Chevron precedent has been the backbone of administrative law, limiting judicial decision-making in favor of agency 'expertise' ....

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

... virtually all local economists realize the main cause of Hawaii’s housing crisis is the state’s extremely high number of land-use and other housing-related regulations that have hindered homebuilding ....

... we would expect to see significant–possibly double digit–declines in condominium prices on Maui ....

... will apply to all coffee product inventory sold to the public or displayed at retail stores in Hawai‘i ....

... The Leeward Planning Commission voted favorably on a bill that would make it easier for beekeepers to expand their businesses ....

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

... Study shows short-term rentals generated $2.2 billion in economic activity for Maui and $11.3 billion across Hawaii in 2023 ....

... 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 ....

... four of the districts have no representation, which could raise questions about fairness over any recommendations the planning body might make ....

... premiums are rising at astronomical rates ....

... The County Council actually improved on a tax cut proposed by Mayor Roth, but neither version gives a break to industrial or commercial properties ....

... a $3.49 million tax increase on hotels and resorts and a $4.15 million increase on vacation rentals ....

... 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 ....

... the law prohibits a landlord from charging an applicant for a residential dwelling unit, a tenant screening fee that is more than the actual cost to obtain information ....

... any coffee labeled or advertised with a Hawaiʻi geographic origin must consist of at least fifty-one percent coffee by weight from that geographic region ....

... By broadening the types of shelf-stable food that can be sold and where producers can sell them, the bill ensures that local entrepreneurs have the chance to thrive while maintaining high standards of food safety ....

... We all know Sundays are holy days set aside for the worship of the Goddess Gaia ....

... A conference committee agreed to pass Senate Bill 2919, which would allow counties to create zoning laws regulating short-term rentals .... 

... Hilo is #1 ....

... the gold standard measurement of the Main Street economy ....

... I became convinced that the proceedings, or at least this part of them, were prearranged ....

“...if you look through the bill, it’s a bunch of blank spaces. It says conveyance taxes will increase by blank percent. Or short-term rental taxes are gonna have a blank percent tax on them....”

... Hawaii County treats beehives like piggeries ....

... 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 ....

... highlights, frustrations at 2024 Legislature ....

... Comerford said his 45 years of living in Hawaii and 25 years of being a business owner are likely to end due to a recent state decision to collect taxes on federal Restaurant Revitalization Funds received during the COVID-19 lockdowns ....

“...30% respondents reported that if there was not a home and vacation rental option during their recent stay in Hawaii, they would not have made the trip....”

...a scam designed to shunt the least attentive investors -- those who do not 'opt out' -- into low return, high fee accounts run by whichever financial institution makes the most campaign contributions....

... Gov. Josh Green addressed the tax and migration issues in his policy brief issued last month. One of his solutions is indexing the state's income tax for inflation, he said ....

...43.8% of businesses described themselves as “critical, on life support,” with only 3.1% reporting “doing great, feeling great.”....

... This is an issue here in Hawaii because our individual income tax rates can go up to 11%, second highest in the nation ....

... more than 500 companies with commercial use permits from the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), began collecting one dollar from each passenger or customer ....

... HB 1675: GET exemption for medical services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE ....

... Once Hawaii County forces families to apply for permits, the next step will be an effort to ban our industry entirely ....

... City suspends enforcement of a city ordinance that’s driving several restaurants in Waikiki out of business ....

... Hawaii taxpayers are going to be paying more for state government projects under a directive issued in February by Gov. Josh Green ....

... The Senate passed the bill 23-2, with Republican Sens. Brenton Awa and Kurt Fevella casting the lone "no" votes ....

... supporting HB 1675 as the first step in getting rid of GET for medical services ....

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

... Short-term rental owners in Hawaii could hardly find a better spokesperson for their cause ....

... there were no professional licenses in Hawaii before Captain Cook arrived, therefore unlicensed midwifery is 'indigenous' ....

... After the state Division of Financial Institutions started implementing stringent cryptocurrency regulations in 2014, crypto companies started fleeing the state ....

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

“For a long time, people looked to government like it was their job to take care of everything. But the best course of action is not to go through elected officials, it’s to stand up and do it."

... In a February 2, 2024 Order, 3rd Circuit Judge Robert D S Kim has voided HMSA, HMSA Medicare, and Quest ‘Participating Physician Agreements’ ....

... The Aloha State had persistently earned a virtually worst-in-the-nation popularity for its unfriendliness towards digital currencies—second solely to New York, a state with a Bitlicense that Hawaii was trying to adapt ....

... Senate Bill 2919 establishes State Regulations for short-term vacation rentals, allows the counties to adopt zoning ordinances and regulations for the amortization or phasing out of certain land lands or structures, and applies the TAT to shelters and vehicles with, or advertised as including, sleeping accommodations ....

“...30% respondents reported that if there was not a home and vacation rental option during their recent stay in Hawaii, they would not have made the trip....”