Entries for 'Tom Yamachika'

... highlights and low lights on some of the shenanigans ....

... ripe for raiding ....

... Big funds with large amounts of money sitting around become, now or over time, tempting targets for lawmakers to raid or divert ....

... document that directed staff at the Department of Taxation to use the negligence penalty, a penalty of 25% of the tax due, against taxpayers who receive requests for documents from a tax auditor ....

... Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! ....

... $29 million lying around doing nothing ....

... Deferred doesn’t mean dead ....

“What’s the biggest break that today’s tax code gives us?”

... the 2025 legislative session is approaching with blinding speed ....

... it has to stay broken ....

... a comprehensive, and somewhat intense guide ....

... when money goes into the account, the folks providing the online account pinch a little ....

... see how this strategy plays out in real life ....

... This year, 2024, is the first report card for the Green administration ....

... One of our newer lawmakers recently penned a piece, “Consumer-Centered Property Insurance Can Help Condo Owners” ....

... Department of Taxation computers don't necessarily tell you when they change some of the information that’s been input ....

... There have been a lot of sharp words in the news lately ....

... Bill 46 (2024) is the current version moving forward in the Council. ...

... employees were required to go to their principal’s office and sign a promissory note ....

... the discussion there is almost entirely focused on taxes ....

... employees at our State, and the Department of Taxation in particular, have a lot of immunity too ....

... I expect the Department’s bill to resurface in the 2025 legislative session ....

... it provides a basis for the courts to get involved if there is some question as to the legitimacy of any fee or tax ....

... a formula that exists in the laws of Hawaii, California, and several other states ....

... If you can’t get insurance on the unit, you can’t get financing ....

... an Office of the Legislative Analyst that is supposed to come up with revenue estimates for significant tax and spending bills ....

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

... a memo went out from DoE central office to all schools directing them NOT to apply for any of the funding ....

... For those of you who pay GET, here’s a quick quiz....

... the largest tax cut in Hawaii’s history ....

... Recently, Governor Green, without much fanfare, signed into law a number of bills that had been proposed by the Department of Taxation ....

... Intent to Veto: HB 1800, which is the state’s budget bill, and HB 40, which is the bill that puts $300 million into our rainy day fund and $135 million into the pension accumulation fund .... 

... Here are some of the traps I’ve seen ....

... there is now, government-wide, about a 30% vacancy rate in the number of authorized positions ....

... 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 ....

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

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

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

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

... “Good riddance!” ....

... 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 ....

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

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

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

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

... some bills replace a current tax rate with a blank.  Or several blanks.  Those are scary because you don’t know what our lawmakers are thinking of putting in there ....

... there are bills advancing that would, if enacted, fundamentally change how Hawaii’s estate tax works ....

... One state made the top five on all lists ....

... Here’s how the strategy works ....

... trampling on taxpayers’ rights ....