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Want higher wages? Try economic freedom

#AuditTheRail finally on track!

#AuditTheRail finds champion in Heidi Tsuyenoshi

Akina decries Hawaii Legislature’s ‘backward budgeting’

Testimony on civil asset forfeiture bill — HB 748

Testimony on proposed GE tax increase — SB 1747

Testimony on SB 1 — Relating to Housing

State budget needs bigger cushion to weather crisis

HAWAII’S LEADING INDEPENDENT THINK TANK

Working for a better economy, better government and a better society

Want higher wages? Try economic freedom

by Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. | Apr 16, 2019

Try as they might, Hawaii’s policymakers cannot mandate people into prosperity. In fact, their efforts to do so might only make things worse. For example, the Hawaii Legislature right now is contemplating two bills that would dramatically increase the state’s minimum…

#AuditTheRail finally on track!

by Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. | Apr 5, 2019

The Honolulu rail is now famous, but for all the wrong reasons. The question is: “What we are going to do about it?” With the project under federal investigation, news outlets around the country are writing about it, using words like “debacle” and “boondoggle.” Here…

#AuditTheRail finds champion in Heidi Tsuyenoshi

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 3, 2019

It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to new Honolulu City Council member Heidi Tsuneyoshi, representing District 2, it’s finally going to get done: a forensic audit of the city’s wildly over-budget and behind-schedule rail project. Tsuneyoshi met with Grassroot…

Akina decries Hawaii Legislature’s ‘backward budgeting’

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 3, 2019

The Hawaii Legislature has been considering a $16 billion budget for fiscal year 2020 that would spend more money than it’s projected to take in. As a result, it is scrambling to find new ways to raise tax revenue, and that, says Keli’i Akina, president of the…

Testimony on civil asset forfeiture bill — HB 748

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 3, 2019

This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Hawaii Senate Committee on Ways and Means on April 3, 2019. Re: HB748 — RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE Comments Only Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would…

Testimony on proposed GE tax increase — SB 1747

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 2, 2019

This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Hawaii Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 28, 2019. RE: SB 1474 — RELATING TO TAXATION Comments Only Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to…

Testimony on SB 1 — Relating to Housing

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 2, 2019

This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Hawaii House Committee on Housing on March 14, 2019. RE: SB 1 — RELATING TO HOUSING Comments Only Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its…

State budget needs bigger cushion to weather crisis

by Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Apr 2, 2019

A new Grassroot Institute of Hawaii report suggests ways to build a financial reserve HONOLULU, April 2, 2019 >> Hawaii’s state budget does not have big enough cushion to deal with a deep recession, if one should hit, so lawmakers should rein in spending and…

‘Backward budgeting’ wrong way to move forward

by Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. | Apr 1, 2019

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. The Legislature on March 27 sent a record high $16 billion budget plan to Gov….