Carbon tax: Don’t fiddle while Paris burns
On Nov. 28, our state Climate Commission, consisting of 22 county and state government officials, issued a press release affirming that it supports a carbon tax “to achieve Hawaii’s ambitious and necessary emissions reduction goals.”
The county strikes back, part four
We continue with our series about a timeshare association suing Maui County seeking to invalidate its “time share” property classification, with the county then striking back.
The county strikes back (part 3)
We continue with our series about a timeshare association suing the county, with the county then back assessing the association for $10 million.
The county strikes back
In this state, if you have a beef with the tax collector you can’t just go suing in any old court. We have a special court called the Tax Appeal Court that hears disputes about state taxes and county taxes.
An open-records case: Walden versus OHA’s LLCs
About half a year ago, we wrote about some limited liability companies formed by our Office of Hawaiian Affairs. These companies received cash and property, including 1,600-plus acres of land in Waimea Valley, from OHA.
Oahu’s rail project sits on a precarious perch
Recently, there has been fierce debate over Bill 42 before the Honolulu City Council. Here’s the background: In 2007, the city passed Ordinance 07-001, which says that the Honolulu rail project would be funded only with proceeds of the general excise tax surcharge and federal money.
It’s real property because Maui County says so
Today we look at a case now pending in the Hawaii Supreme Court that may give us some insight on county real property taxes and their limits.
Take-aways from the ‘Con-Am’ argument
On Oct. 18, the Supreme Court of Hawaii held oral argument on a petition by the four counties to invalidate “Con-Am,” the constitutional amendment ballot measure that would allow the state to slap a “surcharge,” essentially an additional property tax, on “investment” real property.
The myth of a state spending ceiling
This week, we look at another provision that was passed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention to assure our fiscal health — and what our lawmakers have done to marginalize it. As we mentioned in June, Hawaii Constitution Article VII, sections 8 and 9, limit general fund expenditures by an “expenditure ceiling.”
How the general income tax credit became history
Those of us who are getting along in years may remember the “general income tax credit,” a line on our state income tax return where we could claim a $1 credit. The saga of this credit tells us a little about a bold move undertaken in the 1978 Constitutional Convention and our lawmakers’ reaction, which was to beat it into insignificance within a couple of years.
DOE may be forgoing millions in federal dollars
One article that recently appeared in the Star-Advertiser was titled, “State forgoing millions in federal reimbursements.” The state agency referred to in that article is our Department of Education.
This state agency can already impose a tax
Lots of the controversy swirling around the ballot measure seeking to impose a “surcharge” on investment property to support public education involves our Department of Education. The DOE currently receives an appropriation from the state’s general fund of about $2 billion and is also able to pull from other funding sources such as federal funds.
Constitutional question: Just say it’s a tax!
The news recently mentioned a lawsuit that the City and County of Honolulu, now joined by the other three counties, has leveled against our state government regarding the Hawaii State Teachers Association-sponsored constitutional amendment. The counties, obviously not overjoyed at the prospect of the state slapping a surcharge on their primary source of revenue, want the courts to void the ballot question.
Historic homes in Honolulu County
One of the more unique property tax exemptions in the City & County of Honolulu is the exemption for “Historic Residential Real Property Dedicated for Preservation.” Under the exemption ordinance, owners of historic homes can save thousands of dollars in real property taxes every year if they put up a certain plaque, allow viewing of the home and meet other requirements.
Taking exemptions without really knowing
These days, our general excise tax (GET) contains exemptions and reduced rates that are supposed to reflect commercial reality but often contain leaps of faith.
How long does it take to have a home on Kauai?
Today we focus on Kauai real property tax, thanks to an alert reader who has given us a horrifying account of something so commonplace as buying a home there. How long do you think it takes between buying a home on Kauai and having the “home exemption” effective for real property tax there?
Raising taxes means decreasing prices?
I’ve often heard the argument that taxes on Hawaii real property are too low. Because the taxes are low, the argument goes, prices are driven sky high, leading to economic pandemonium. But is that really true? Maybe it’s just a question of semantics.
Cashing in on production credits
In this space, I often have unflattering things to say about tax credits. Every year, legislators propose tax credits for some little-noticed niche in an industry. Sometimes the credit is well thought through, and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes the desired effect can be accomplished more cheaply and simply, and sometimes the justification for the credit is sketchy at best.
Weekends safe once again, maybe
Back in 2014, we wrote in this space about a nasty Honolulu City & County rule involving real property tax appeals.
Wayfair – playing catch-up
This week, we continue with our coverage of Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court case that held online sellers can be made to collect state sales taxes even if they don’t have a physical presence in that state.