TAX MAN: Legislative madness in final weeks of session
In the sports world, we have “March Madness.” Last week in this space, we wrote about “Credit Madness.” Now, lest we miss the forest for the trees, let’s discuss madness at the Legislature in general.
TAX MAN: ‘Credit Madness’ at the Hawai‘i Legislature
In the sports world, we have “March Madness.” At our Legislature this year, we have “Credit Madness.” With a surplus on the State balance sheet north of a billion dollars, lawmakers have proposed all kinds of tax credits to advance social policy of one type or another.
TAX MAN: The case for conveyance tax hikes
We have recently passed the halfway point in the current legislative session. Many of the more outlandish or ruinous tax proposals have fallen by the wayside. Many tax proposals remain, mainly having to do with tax relief or credits. There are, however, a few tax hike proposals still moving.
TAX MAN: California’s surplus to deficit in 1 year
“Lucky you live Hawaii,” the saying goes. Long-time readers of this column may chuckle at that because we have been pointing out lots of ways the government here could be improved. But sometimes our sister States get themselves into big piles of pickles that makes our situation look a lot better by comparison.
TAX MAN: Love-hate relationship with tourism
Here in Hawai‘i, we officially have a love-hate relationship with tourism.
TAX MAN: Creative districts getting a look in state Senate
One of the more intriguing ideas to cross my desk recently is in Senate Bill 822.
TAX MAN: Honolulu has PILOT project for real property tax
In late 2021, the City & County of Honolulu’s Real Property Assessment Division inspectors took a look at several parcels of land on which solar farms and other renewable energy projects had been built.
TAX MAN: There’s lots to digest in governor’s bill package
Governor Josh Green recently gave his State of the State address. His office and his agencies dropped a bill package into the legislative hopper. It really feels like we’re in the legislative session now!
TAX MAN: More temporary tax fixes being considered
The elections have been held. We know who the new Representatives and Senators are. The Hawaii legislative session doesn’t open until Wednesday, January 18th, but you’d better believe that legislators have been busy already.
TAX MAN: Today we search for Legislature tax ideas
Now that the New Year is off and running and we are quaking in our boots waiting for our Legislature to reconvene, here are some of the ideas that we have been following. We’ve put them into a Word Find puzzle for your amusement.
TAX MAN: Taxes need to be used to make lives better
In the weekly columns I have been writing in this space, I have been concentrating on money. The government makes us pay money in taxes, and then spends it in a way that is supposed to make our lives better.
TAX MAN: We’ve yet to learn how to earn a procurement exemption
This week, we are focusing on the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). They have been trying to award a tourism marketing contract worth tens of millions of dollars, as they have for the past several years. In the past, that contract has always gone to the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), but this time around, there were a few twists and turns.
TAX MAN: What it takes to spend $600M on housing in three years
As we have written about before, last year’s Legislature approved $600 million to our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to reduce the monstrous waiting list of Hawaiians waiting for homestead lands. The catch, however, is that DHHL needs to spend the money, or enter into a contract to spend it, by June 30, 2025. Otherwise, the money goes back to the general fund.
TAX MAN: New administration has tax priorities
In a recent interview with Hawaii News Now, Governor-elect Josh Green outlined the top priorities he has for his first 100 days in office, presumably including the start of this year’s legislative session.
TAX MAN: Want to fight corruption? Follow the money
In a recent op-ed in Civil Beat, Robert Harris, who recently became the executive director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, mused about his role in the grand scheme of things. His first reaction was to describe his job as just enforcing the State Ethics Code and the Lobbying Law, but then saw a broader role for his agency as helping to restore public trust in government.
TAX MAN: Boosting the affordable housing fund isn’t the answer
Many financial and political experts (or people who say they are) are trying to make sense of the defeat of Honolulu’s Charter Question No. 1 in the general election earlier this month.
TAX MAN: Cleaning house at Office of Hawaiian Affairs
A financial investigation, by auditing firm Plante Moran, recently confirmed 22 instances of “fraud, waste, or abuse” at our Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
TAX MAN: Getting permitting out of home maintenance
This week we continue to focus on the City and County of Honolulu, where efforts are under way to deal with the highly backlogged state of affairs at our Department of Planning and Permitting. As we’ve previously reported, a 2020 City audit (Report No. 20-01) (Exhibit 4.3) found that a typical residential building permit application took 108 days to process, while one for a commercial project ($1 - $10 million) took 432 days. That is a very long time to be just waiting for a permit.
TAX MAN: The O‘ahu empty homes tax is on ice for now
One of the ideas that has been kicking around in the state and county legislatures for a couple of years now is the idea of an “empty homes tax.” The idea seems to be gaining steam now since our federal court has struck down Honolulu’s recent ordinance clamping down on transient vacation rentals.
TAX MAN: Are ‘dedicated funding sources’ really dedicated? Nah
I’m sometimes asked how we can achieve true fiscal reform here in the Aloha State. It’s easy to imagine an end goal, with government spending within its means and with no gargantuan liabilities (the big two are the State’s defined benefit pension plan and the EUTF health system for state retirees) hanging over our heads like swords of Damocles.