Taxes

...​HSTA Slush Fund Unlimited Tax Increases in Your Future....

...lots of surprises as lawmakers press forward....

...Over the past 15 years, the people of Hawaii have paid 260% more for electricity than the US average, while gasoline prices consistently hover close to $1-per-gallon higher.  (But we can go even higher)....

...In the latest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” Hawaii ranked 45th overall. One of the biggest reasons for that low ranking was Hawaii’s high level of taxation....

...The Feds Gave You a Break? Now We, the State, Can Turn the Screws!....

...At a time when many advocates of education reform are promoting greater local involvement in schools, Hawaii appears to be moving in the opposite direction....

...the sales tax bases in Hawaii, New Mexico, and South Dakota are incredibly broad, so it’s not surprising that they would tax these types of transactions....

...last year Hawaii Tax Freedom Day was April 19....

...only New York State is higher....

...Recently, states have moved away from these taxes or raised the exemption levels....

...where do taxpayers get the least bang for their buck?....

...why do we have a current state financial plan that spends more than $200 million every year over available revenues?....

...projected to increase overall after-tax income in every quintile of taxpayers....

...California is now trying to enact a workaround, and some Hawaii lawmakers are actively considering similar legislation....

...Spending would increase by $114.8 million, or 16.3%, over current period....

...For years, it was conventional wisdom that as tax-happy as the Hawaii Legislature might be, it still would avoid raising taxes in an election year....

...The State Senate has drafted, discussed, and voted on SB508, SB2415, SB2484, SB2489, SB2699, and SB2821 that are projected to generate approximately $72 million in revenues....

...Thu, March 29, 2018 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM HST....

... The TAT amount for the City & County of Honolulu is unchanged ....

...$8,277 -- Annual Hawaii State & Local Taxes on Median State Household....

...Hawaii Democrats Bitter, Spiteful....

... “It wasn’t that long ago that I was before this same committee testifying on a very similar bill on the very same tax provision, seeking to do the very same thing....”

... Hawaii has reinstated its formerly temporary individual income tax brackets, ranging from 8.25 to 11 percent .... 

...We reviewed 85 house and senate bills proposing 64 special and revolving funds during the 2018 legislative session of which none met criteria....

...In the middle of this process, sometimes a letter from the Governor arrives saying, “We need to make some adjustments...."

...Democrat media unanimous: 'Nothing to see here'....

...Hawaii Annual Taxes on Home Priced at State Median Value -- $1,459 (33rd–highest)....

...Do the problems in our classrooms have anything to do with special funds at all?....

...Hawaii General sales tax collections per capita: $2,090 (the highest in USA)....

...how to adapt the new federal tax law changes to Hawaii....

...and, by one estimate, ultimately taxes 105.08 percent of the state’s personal income....

...A bill proposed in the Hawaii Legislature would ban the use of plastic straws. But the problem runs much deeper than the straw bill....

...nine meetings set for Feb 12-19th, 2018....

...Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax. Rates range from 3 percent in North Carolina to 12 percent in Iowa....

... Study shows Democrats have become party of the rich ....

....more money and less accountability....

...elected officials raised taxes to pay for Honolulu County’s rail system while indicating their intention to conduct an in-depth, forensic audit of the over-budget, behind-schedule megaproject....

...“math error authority” brings to mind one of the failings in Hawaii’s tax system....

...these three health-related taxes would have taken $31.25 billion over the ten-year period from 2018 to 2027....

...Connecticut and New York share the highest tax rate with $4.35 per pack, trailed by Rhode Island ($4.25), Massachusetts ($3.51), and Hawaii ($3.20)....

...lawmakers will be asked to conform our Hawaii income tax law to the federal changes that have taken place in 2017....

...adds e-liquid to the definition of “tobacco products”, which would make all provisions of the cigarette tax and tobacco tax law that relate to tobacco products applicable to e-liquid....

... whether they’re full-time fishers or “weekend warriors” ....

...If they don’t, it will be functionally the same as raising taxes....

..."This means there are way more than suspected filers actually paying their transient accommodation taxes than originally estimated"....

...State and federal taxes are included in the base electric rate and with a lower federal tax, the tax rate imbedded in the bill will be reduced....

...the PUC has basically said that it expects the program to crash and burn....

...look for the following bills to be revived in the 2018 legislative session....

...This ‘consensus’ of disbelief is proven by the massive investment in sea-level construction of Kakaako condos and Honolulu Rail.... 

...Recently, the Hawaii Tax Review Commission’s primary consultant, PFM Group, issued a final report to the Commission asking it to review many taxing alternatives, including a $360M per year “carbon tax” on Hawaii consumers....