Taxes

...Hawaii taxes wine at $1.38/gallon, 14th highest in USA....

... Hawaii imposes $0.93 tax per gallon of beer ....

... This week, the Honolulu City Council approved an operating budget of $2.8 billion, an increase of 8.8% over last year’s budget and almost $1 million more than the amount proposed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell ....

...DOTAX justified the shroud of darkness surrounding its revenue projections with a theory, derived from federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law, called “deliberative process privilege.”....

... Hawaii derives 22.9% of tax revenue from individual income taxes .... 

...A long time ago the Tax Foundation of Hawaii sued the State....

...Kauai is looking at a budget increase of 10.7%; Honolulu, 8.6%; Maui 8.1%; and Hawaii County 12.7%....

... the GE Tax accounts for 37.2% of State revenue, Hawaii ranks 9th most dependent....

...the law’s discrimination against nonresidents was prohibited by a part of the U.S. Constitution that the deputy attorney general didn’t consider.  “Oops,” the deputy said....

...Hawaii combined pass-through business income tax rate 43.7%, second only to California....

...good news and bad news for Hawaii's taxpayers during this past legislative session....

... Hawaii: Combined State-Federal Corporate Income Tax Rate 26.1% ....

...The Hawaii Legislature approved 303 bills, among which were measures clarifying what people must do in crosswalks with countdown timers, determining who is allowed to drive “low speed electric bicycles,” and expanding the prohibition on the capturing or killing of manta rays to all rays. ...

... Department of Land and Natural Resources is doing a reforestation project in East Maui. It’s hired a vendor to certify the project for “carbon credits.” Why are they doing that if we don’t even have a carbon tax ....

...Alabama and Hawaii raise the smallest portion of their state and local tax revenue through property taxes: 17.1 percent and 17.6 percent, respectively....

...UIPA Request: DoE Refusing to Release Check Register....

...This is harsh criticism, but it is well-founded....

...Try out the “adjust performance” feature.  You can abolish the GE Tax and cut other taxes, eliminate public employees, enact a right to work law, raise or lower the minimum wage, and see how each move affects Hawaii’s economic performance....

...No, that isn’t a cuss word. It’s just the facts, ma’am....

...Hawaii Tax Freedom Day is 43rd among states....

...Multiple carbon-dioxide tax bills are under consideration in the current session of the Hawaii State Legislature....

...our legislature has a dogged focus on new taxes....

...'Sin' taxes are levied on a relatively narrow tax base, and many are regressive, with a larger share of the tax burden falling on those with lower incomes....

...A new Grassroot Institute of Hawaii report suggests ways to build a financial reserve....

...Unlike tax rates, which vary widely based on an individual’s circumstances, tax burden measures the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes....

...Before the ink was dry on those judgments, the Department of Taxation produced additional assessments against the taxpayers, this time on car rental commissions....

...Hawaii lawmakers are considering a myriad of new tax increases in order to pay for their spending plans, but instead they should clamp down on their spending so tax hikes aren’t needed....

...a byzantine structure of taxes and fees, with effective tax rates on consumers often exceeding 30 percent....

...with a month to go, legislators will have plenty of time to raise your taxes....

...tax increases would affect commercial, up by 14 cents per $1,000 of valuation; industrial, up by 3 cents per thousand; hotel and resort, up by 23 cents per thousand; and short-term rental, up by 27 cents per thousand....

...contrasting state and local tax collections with the quality of the services residents receive in each of the 50 states....

"...Despite the rejection of the Supreme Court of Hawaii, our efforts were key in the legislature’s decision to drop the skim from 10% to 1% during the 2017 Special Session—this was a win for all taxpayers in this State...."

..."Federal Funding as a Share of State Revenue"....

...Senate Bill 1474 would increase your GE Tax by 0.5%....

"SB 1474 Senate Draft 2 that proposes an increase in the GET now specifies '__ per cent or $ _____'"

...The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will hold 14 community meetings across the state to get public feedback on the concept of a road usage charge....

...The Hawaii Legislature is considering a bill to add 0.5 percent to the 4 percent state general excise tax....

...what we really need to do is fix the inefficiency....

...The Hawaii Legislature seems to have learned the wrong lesson from last year’s constitutional amendment debate....

...Hawaii Ranks 23rd at $129 per capita....

...Hawaii GE Tax takes 8.43% of income from low income families but only 3.31% from high income families -- 2nd most regressive in USA....

...Tom Yamachika gives us a round up of the latest proposals to raise taxes on Hawaii residents....

...Residents were presented with a list of eight potential projects and asked their level of support for each, even if it involved raising taxes or fees....

...individuals, gritting and gnashing their teeth, scour through their financial records and begin the arduous process.... 

...Multiple bills heard this session have revolved around encouraging residents to save. The details vary, but there’s a common theme: The state wants to be your local bank....

... SB1009 threatens the efficacy of a tobacco harm reduction tool that has helped millions of adult Americans quit smoking cigarettes ....

...Senate Bill 1474 proposes levying a 0.5 percent surcharge on the general excise and use tax in order to provide a “dedicated funding source” for the DOE and the University of Hawaii....

...the Hawaii State Personal Income Tax vacuums up $1,481 per person....

...The auditor found that they have lots of money lying around. More than $120 million in accounts that haven’t been even touched for five years....

...New York and California killed off expensive rail projects--Hawaii can too....