Taxes

... We reviewed 76 House and Senate bills introduced during the 2026 legislative session, proposing 52 special and revolving funds. None of the proposed funds satisfied the criteria set forth in Section 23-11, HRS, for special and revolving funds ....

... What will likely follow will be a bit of negotiating, most of which will occur behind closed doors ....

... Rideshare drivers — also referred to as transportation network company (TNC) drivers — are required to file tax returns and pay GET on their gross income or gross proceeds, including any discretionary tips they receive. ....

... is it really a loophole? ....

...Lawmakers on the committees considering the proposed pause were inundated this past week with testimony against the bills....

...CLUE:  This is one of the 'justifications' for Green's $1.8B tax hike....

... there are bills that would undo the TAT extension to cruise lines and, instead, impose a per-passenger charge on cruise ship docking ....

... The University of Hawaii has a $429M special fund for tuition and fees ....

... In anticipation of the high court’s ruling, big-name companies like Costco, Revlon and Bumble Bee Foods filed lawsuits in the U.S. Court of International Trade to secure tariff refunds for billions of dollars ....

“A lot of people in Hawaii were counting on this money, and we need it to survive the cost of living.”

... House Bill 2306 and Senate Bill 3125 don’t delay the scheduled cuts by three years or five years.  They propose to repeal the cuts, as in get rid of them for good....

... Somebody’s going to pay for it. Is that going to be us? ....

...Grassroot’s priorities this session include defending the state’s income tax cuts passed in 2024, opposing all other tax hikes and fees, supporting occupational licensing reform and advocating housing policies that could boost homebuilding....

... $30M here, $40M there ....

... Hawai‘i is one of only four states that still taxes groceries at the full rate ....

...There are two Hawaii Supreme Court cases pending that involve fights over the extent to which courts can get involved in taxation at all....

... video and full text as prepared for delivery ....

... A mortality rate of 620 per thousand is something you might get with an atomic bomb ....

... it could be another year for big, positive changes ....

... millions of dollars lying around ....

... rather than walk back the tax cuts, the Legislature could simply identify and reallocate about $350 million a year in current state funding ....

...Mycko received $37,158.00 in PUA funds that he was not entitled to receive....

... one big difference between House an Senate legislative priorities announced in advance of the Hawai’i State Legislature’s Opening Day on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 ....

... a Word Find puzzle with 26 key words and phrases ....

... #1) Go on a diet ....

... The state budget department confirms that the increase would come from a ‘pause’ of the remaining historic 2024 income tax reductions ....

... While the AG was counting her chickens, barristers worked through the holidays to bring the preliminary injunction appeal to justice ....

... identify harmful old ideas that have done nothing to help and should be sent to the scrapyard ....

... there is an additional complication called the Pease limit ....

... keep pressure on state lawmakers to avoid increasing taxes ....

... The AG isn't telling you this, but the plaintiffs immediately filed an appeal to the 9th Circuit.  They also filed a motion for a stay pending appeal ....

... a proposed total general fund appropriation of $10.58 billion in general funds for FY27, an increase from $10.48 billion proposed for FY26 ....

... According to the Census Bureau, state tax revenue from sports betting nearly quadrupled in the last four years ....

... the More Homes on the Market Act would double exclusions for home sales and adjust them annually for inflation going forward ....

... Hawaii laws levy a general excise tax on accommodation bookings but the state insists Booking.com can't preemptively challenge the law before actually paying the tax ....

... Over the past four years, many states (but not Hawaii) have eased restrictions on gambling, contributing to the explosion of sports betting sales tax revenue ....

... the cruise lines alleged that the tax appeal system we have here is anything but plain, speedy, and efficient ....

... A Maui County Council committee last week approved amendments to Bill 171 (2025), which would extend property tax relief to Lahaina property owners who lost their homes and businesses ....

... People sometimes get into a disagreement with the Department of Taxation ....

... The Constitution’s Tonnage Clause bars States from imposing any “charge for the privilege of entering, trading in, or lying in a port.” ….

... the Cruise Lines International Association and several Hawaii tour operators are asking for a preliminary injunction to block the law ....

... some health insurance programs don’t cover general excise tax that we in Hawaii impose on health care charges ....

... Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is proposing Legislators again hike the Transient Accommodations Tax ....

... the general excise tax (GET) has an extremely broad base that includes virtually all business inputs, both goods and services, leading to significant tax pyramiding ....

... funded through special assessments on non-residential property owners ....

... with a very public step being taken, it will be impossible to simply sweep the matter under the rug ....

... the legislation was enacted in 2019, six years ago.  At the time, the Department issued an announcement saying that it wasn’t ready to implement the requirement yet, so taxpayers could relax ....

... yelling, cursing, swearing, finger-pointing, accusing, etc., and it has created a very hostile and toxic work environment for DOTAX staff ....

... now, each taxpayer would have to contribute 'only' $8,800 to help pay off the state’s debt ....

... the push and pull that the federal tax system inflicts on state and local tax systems ....