Cost of Living

... Governor Josh Green, M.D. signed a sixth emergency proclamation to extend federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotment benefits, in keeping with ongoing federal COVID relief efforts ....

... high gas prices, rush-hour traffic congestion and poor road quality ....

... Hawaii’s population has been declining for six straight years, and if policymakers don’t do something quickly to avert the looming increase in county property taxes, that is likely to continue ....

... 6th highest in USA ....

... According to recent data, searches for side jobs have seen an increase of 49.89%, with Hawaii ranking sixth among the states ....

...The lie that tourists pay 30% of the GE Tax is front and center as Gov Green and legislators quickly walk back Green’s fake 2022 campaign promise to eliminate the GE Tax from food and medical care....

... Hawaii residents paid on average $210.26 a month up by $38.08 ....

... Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s “wins” over the past year ....

... and that doesn’t account for state tax rates, which are among the highest in the nation ....

... The Price of Pizza Hut and Domino’s in Every Country and State ....

... Akina and Iwasa discuss the history of property taxes in Hawaii, how assessments are conducted and what reforms the counties should consider ....

... more than 15,000 left the state between July 2021 and July 2022 ....

... Hawaii’s population dropped by almost 7,000 people, or 0.5%, between July 2021 and July 2022 ....

... The rate increase is subject to approval by the PUC and any increase is not expected to impact member bills until the second half of 2023 ....

... The attorneys general warned about possible abuse of a proposed rule requiring refunds when there’s a significant change in flight itinerary ....

... assessments of all real property on Oahu went up by 12.4% compared with the previous year. And that’s just the average ....

... retirees can expect to burn money fastest in Hawaii ....

... City to Send 2023 Real Property Notice of Assessments ....

... many Hawaii families are taking a hard look at their finances and calculating how inflation and recession will affect their holiday plans, if not their entire economic futures ....

"...higher inflation will pressure pension liabilities via rising employee wages, which raise projected benefits, and automatic cost of living adjustment mechanisms...."

... by-right approval for affordable housing projects would streamline the process for homebuilders and potentially yield big savings ....

 ... Wednesday from 3:30pm to 5:00pm on Zoom, a panel discussion on housing in Hawaii with three Hawaii housing legends ....

... a 2% increase in resident tuition rates at the three UH universities in AY 2025–26 and a 2% increase in AY 2026–27 ....

... The result is exactly what we have in Hawaii: a lot of talk about lowering the cost of housing, but very little effective reform ....

... the new ordinance is likely to do more harm than good by discouraging more homebuilding ....

... the new sales price calculations will reduce the cost of affordable homes by an average of 22% ....

“...First, do no harm....”

“...Are out-of-state buyers, especially foreigners, really driving Hawaii’s high home prices?....”

... Honolulu ranks 90th of 100 cities ....

... the Jones Act recently hindered Puerto Rico’s ability to receive supplies quickly after being hit by yet another hurricane; and the 102-year-old shipping law also threatens to skyrocket energy costs ....

... nearly half of my cousins had already left ....

... four of the top five states Hawaii residents moved to—Washington, Texas, Nevada, and Florida—forgo individual income taxes on wage income ....

... they told me, ‘Send this person to Costco’ ....

... The cost for a regular unleaded gallon of gas was $5.22 on Wednesday, the same as Tuesday's price, according to AAA ....

... only Alaska pays more ....

... Video of presentation at Hawaii Pacific University ....

... obstacles in the path toward statewide elimination of fossil fuels ....

... Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is working with experts around the country to create a better Hawaii ....

... the primary causes of Hawaii's high housing prices are extensive land-use, zoning and other homebuilding-related regulations ....

... Hawaii residents are leaving the state in droves because the cost of living is too high .... 

... Not considering charter schools, enrollment dropped from 168,152 in 2018-19 to 156,518 in 2022-23, and it is projected to decrease further to 148,096 by 2027-28 ....

... To avoid higher costs, many companies are forced to turn to imports ....

... An amendment seeks to subsidize homebuyers, leaving open whom would qualify and how much taxpayers would be in for ....

"...The same money driving up housing prices, buying up our land, and pushing out local families is the same money [Green] has used and is using to fund his campaign. I will never accept this as being good for Hawaii...."

... Hawaii has the most expensive home prices in the nation ....

... compel the DOD via statue to build all the base housing they need (approximately 40k units) for their servicemembers’ families on base in Hawaii ....

... how we got to this point ....

... The Problem with the Hawaiʻi Real Estate Market is the effect that “outside influences” are having on housing prices and availability ....

... might the wage increase backfire and actually end up harming the very people it was supposed to help ....

... Grassroot Institute President Keli‘i Akina says report shifts the focus from a scapegoat to policies that can actually result in more housing ....