Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, September 1, 2018
Arizona ruling shows Hawaii ballot question vulnerable
By Grassroot Institute @ 4:47 PM :: 4811 Views :: Higher Education, Taxes

Arizona ruling shows Hawaii ballot question vulnerable

An "education tax" proposal similar to Hawaii's was held back from voters for being vague

News Release from Grassroot Institute

HONOLULU, Aug. 31, 2018 -- An Arizona Supreme Court ruling this week shows that the ballot proposal to establish an “education tax” in Hawaii is vulnerable to being struck down.

The Arizona Supreme Court banned a ballot question about whether to tax “high-income earners” to help fund education. The court ruled that the language of the question created “danger of confusion or unfairness.”

The case is similar to one in Hawaii, where all four counties have sued the state over confusing language in a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the state the power to impose a “surcharge” on investment real property to help fund education. Hawaii voters will have an opportunity Nov. 6 to vote on the question.

Keli‘i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said Hawaii’s ballot measure does not use the word “tax.”

“Hawaii’s ballot question does not tell voters that the proposal would create new taxing power by the state, and that such a taxing power could have an enormous impact on our economy,” Akina said. “This is not transparent, and, at the worst, it is disingenuous. Arizona’s ruling has upheld the right of transparency for voters, and the ruling should be mirrored in Hawaii, since our ballot question is just as confusing.”

Hawaii’s ballot question asks:

“Shall the legislature be authorized to establish, as provided by law, a surcharge on investment real property to be used to support public education?”

Donna Leong, Honolulu corporation counsel, said at a news conference this week that the ballot question, “fails to mention the most substantive effect of the proposed constitutional amendment, which is that the state Legislature seeks to give itself another taxing power, and that that is the power to impose real property taxes.”

Said Akina: “Hawaii’s courts should do the right thing and strike this proposal from the ballot, to uphold the transparency that voters deserve in our democracy.”

###

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii