Taxes

... 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 ....

... Akina said HB2404 will incrementally provide Hawaii taxpayers with the biggest income tax cut in state history ....

... It was mostly a good year for Hawaii at the 2024 Legislature, and policy experts from Grassroot will explain how that came to be ....

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

... 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 ....

... secret instructions from the Director of Taxation to his staff ....

... 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 ....

... huge wins in the areas of taxes, healthcare and housing reform ....

... HB2404 will lower the state income tax burden for average families by almost 70% by 2031 and save taxpayers roughly $5 billion during that same period ....

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

... DoTax claims Administrative Directives are for “Internal Use” and are not to be disclosed to the public ....

... Most of the targeted savings would come from the operating budget of the city’s Department of Information Technology ....

... Resolution 24-61 would set the property tax rates for fiscal year 2025 ....

... there is still plenty of work to be done to reduce the cost of living in Hawaii ....

... legislators earmark $1 billion to cover costs such as emergency housing and rental assistance ....

... a significant tax reform which has been long overdue ....

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

... nonprofit hospitals are exempt from the GET, but small physician practices and clinics are not ....

... rate would increase by 82% for B&Bs worth $3 million or more ....

... Get inside scoop at upcoming events on how good bills managed to prevail ....

... “Good riddance!” ....

... 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." ....

"... ALICE families will experience firsthand one of the biggest tax cuts in the State’s history ...."

... exempts hospitals, infirmaries, medical clinics, health care facilities, pharmacies, and medical and dental providers from General Excise Tax (GET) on goods or services that are reimbursed through Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE ....

... At the end of this month, the Legislature wraps up and we see what gets sent to Gov. Green’s desk for signature or veto ....

... 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 ....

... Resolution 24-78 would set property tax rates for the coming year ....

... County officials are seeking significant property tax increases while doing virtually nothing to cut spending or spend wisely ....

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

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

... Tax hikes would burden average Maui homeowners the most ....

“...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....”

... ThinkTech has fallen victim to a phenomenon that has plagued many nonprofits including the Tax Foundation of Hawaii:  a drop in donor funding ....

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

... Here are the top videos that were posted in March ....

... 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 ....