Taxes

...state lawmakers mostly would just be raising taxes on the rich and giving it to themselves....

GEMS, as a program, has been a miserable failure, resulting primarily in a large wad of cash that is just sitting in the bank. That’s why our legislature got the bright idea to “use” it to prop up another miserable failure – the “Cool the Schools” initiative....

...but they didn't limit the oppressiveness of the income tax hike that went with it....

...Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties are all considering raising the property tax....

Property taxes are assessed as a percentage of home values, so it follows that higher property taxes are paid where housing prices are higher than average....

On April 26, the Trump Administration released a document that contained a roadmap of sorts for an overhaul of the federal tax code....

But signs in the media, the Legislature and the governor’s office all point to a special session this summer where the tax hikes are likely to materialize....

We're the Hawaii expats....

For this week’s map, we look at state cigarette tax rates across the country....

Today's Star-Adv Labels what many consider a sensible decision as an “Epic Fail” in screaming all-caps....

...Shut up or we’ll make you pay for rail too....

...the Senate remains open to negotiate an agreement with the House to ensure adequate financing to complete the project, yet minimize the impact on the most vulnerable citizens of the community....

...the lack of dissent allows tax-and-spend policies to move smoothly through the Hawaii Legislature...until....

... Hawaii ranks 31st at 21.5% of collections ....

TAT Tax Hike for Rail and HSTA and a Massive Income tax Hike on Small Business Owners....

How does a county raise money?

There are two factors contributing to this regional variation. The first is that higher-income taxpayers tend to take larger deductions....The second factor for county-by-county variation is that state and local tax regimes differ substantially....

...Shifting Burden to Hotels Will Hurt Tourism and Employment....

On average, 23.3% of state and local tax revenues came from sales taxes in fiscal year 2014.  For Hawaii 37.6%....

The most recent version of Rich States, Poor States has been released, and once again, Hawaii ends up on the wrong end of that title....

...the phenomenon of locals leaving Hawaii to live on the mainland has been increasing significantly in recent years....

Most families in Hawaii know that they shouldn’t spend more money than they have. But somehow, Hawaii legislators haven’t gotten the message....

The experts at Anderson Economic Group have considered 11 taxes that businesses pay in order to produce the most comprehensive business tax burden ranking to date....

The hearing will start at 6 p.m. Wednesday April 26 in Council Chambers on the eighth floor of Kalana O Maui at 200 S. High St....

IRS Ruling: Act 1 Cash Payout to HGEA members would cost ERS its nonprofit status .... 

...Caldwell introduces bill authorizing city to extend GET surcharge to pay for rail construction....

Corporate income taxes are one of the smallest sources of state and local tax revenue....

...after the Legislature finishes raising taxes, Hawaii will be back up to 50th....

Tax Freedom Day is the day when the state as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year....

The 2nd Annual Maui County Carnival, scheduled for April 6-9, 2017, has been cancelled. Skyrocketing state government fees have been blamed....

There have been a raft of studies recently isolating the effect of certain elements of the House GOP tax reform “Blueprint” on various industries and even the 50 states....

...an additional $1.2 billion funding package for the City’s financially troubled rail project....

This is the first in a four-part map series in which we will examine the primary sources of state and local tax collections....

“This shows that the city is committed to funding and completing the rail project,” said Mayor Caldwell....

Terms being bandied about include exemptions, deductions, and tax credits, and among tax credits there are the “CreditAbles” – refundable, nonrefundable, and assignable credits.....

...Total Tax Burden: 11.27% – #2 in USA....

...SB 620 would redefine how our general excise tax laws define “doing business”....

After burning $2B, the state received a pathetic $27.1 million in taxes from 150 companies tied to the High Technology Development Corporation....

Hawaii lawmakers would like us to believe that they are cutting the state budget in the current legislative session, but it’s not true....

...contrasting state and local tax collections with the quality of the services residents receive....

...this study appeared to be an outgrowth of a move by our teachers’ union....

...two bills are moving through the legislature on this subject....

...Watchdog Group Says State Budget Must be Reevaluated....

The "shall make sufficient sums available" language is used in one more place in our constitution. It's in Article XII, Section 1, relating to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands....

With tax collections falling behind expectations, State lawmakers are pressuring the tax department to increase effort to collect uncollected taxes from internet sales....

DBEDT is measuring dollars not taxpayers. One out-of-state owner of a shopping mall, golf course, or hotel equals 1000s of individual local homeowners....

It's true that the session is far from over. And this bill could certainly end up morphing yet again....

...this policy likely would backfire and make all housing in the islands more expensive....