Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, May 31, 2015
Could You Please Answer the Phone?
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:01 AM :: 4700 Views :: Tax Credits

Could You Please Answer the Phone?

by Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii

One of the things I hate most when I call tech support or customer service is the time I have to wait on the phone before a human picks up the phone to take my call. Most of the time someone does, in fact, pick up the phone. However, if you are a taxpayer with questions and you call the Hawaii Department of Taxation’s customer service line, there is a more than 50% chance that your call won’t be answered. At all.

image

Source: Department of Taxation 2013-14 Annual Report

If taxpayers are going to have questions – and they will – and the Hawaii Department of Taxation is unable to help them, there should be resources available so they can find their answers, either by themselves or with the help of tax professionals. In fact, robust guidance should be made available since it helps assure that the answers given to people are consistent. It also effectively deputizes the tax practitioners – the tax attorneys, CPAs, PAs, EAs, and others – because they are obliged to advise their clients either in accordance with the Department’s published guidance or, if the practitioners don’t agree with the guidance, that the position they are thinking of taking is in conflict.

Here is a chart of published guidance issued by the Department over the past several years, including Tax Information Releases, Department of Taxation Announcements, Tax Facts, and private letter rulings (published in redacted form).

image

Source: Department of Taxation Web site

Over the most recent five years, the number of pieces of guidance published by the Department of Taxation has been trending downward. But there are no indications that our Hawaii tax laws have gotten any simpler. Indeed, one reason the Foundation exists is to educate lawmakers and the public on what these laws say because ordinary people (including some lawmakers, understandably) have such a tough time understanding them. We understand that the Department’s current policy is that they will not issue guidance on issues that they think are clearly addressed by the existing law and guidance. The tricky part, however, is that most normal people don’t know the existing law or know how to find the guidance. Also, for the Department staff, knowing how state tax laws work is their full-time job, so what is clear to them might not be clear to anyone else. We ask those in state government to consider these comments and allow the guidance to flow more freely.

- 30 -

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT