Entries for 'Tom Yamachika'

... over the last fifty years, our lawmakers have tended to regard those provisions as bothersome annoyances, to be worked around or avoided ...

... $6.3M salary for 'administrative leave' ....

... $50 million in the hands of a four-person committee ....

... the USDA whacked our state with an $11 million fine for its huge error rate two years in a row ....

... the fees have been collected but have not been used, and for a very long time ....

... The lawsuit alleges that the Special Fund was intended to be, and is, used to circumvent expenditure controls that are in the Hawaii Constitution for the protection of taxpayers ....

... the fund has swollen to over $50 million ....

... Our state budget already is in chaos, and adding more workarounds and sleight of hand will not make things better! ....

... two tax bills are on the list ....

... money chairs’ macabre tradition ....

... Before 2009, Hawaii had no statute of limitations on the collection of taxes ....

... out of the eighty-six special and revolving funds reviewed, not one of them met the statutory criteria ....

... a few bills that passed both houses of the legislature, but did not make it through conference, may come back to haunt us next year .... 

... there were a few tax increases and a bill that is kind of a tax cut ....

... Senate Draft 2 of the bill proposed to raid ninety-seven special funds for $320M  ....

... It’s a genuine procedural trap ....

"...all of the negotiations and conversations take place behind closed doors...."

... “The Grand Skim of Things” ....

... If Auntie’s kids sell her house for a $500,000 gain to provide money for her to go to a nursing home, for example, the tax will fall on her the same as anyone who earns $500,000 in one year ....

... the bills replace the current 10.25% tax rate with a blank ....

... in big bold type it screams ....

... a new assessment (a new tax) against health plans and health insurers ....

... a nasty little device used by tax agencies ....

... multiplying the result by 150% ....

... some lawmakers think the TAT fixes everything ....

... it’s being pushed very hard as a sweet deal, but it has the potential to really stomp our economy ....

... There.  Is.  No.  Such.  Thing.  As.  A.  Dedicated.  Funding.  Source!  ....

... 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 ....