The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council on Feb. 28, 2023.
___________
February 28, 2023
9 a.m.
Honolulu City Council Chambers
To: Honolulu City and County Council Committee on Budget
Radiant Cordero, Chair
Matt Weyer, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 37 (2022) — RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY TAXATION
Comments Only
Dear Chair and Committee Members:
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its comments on Bill 37 (2022), which would increase the income eligibility for the real property tax credit from $60,000 to $70,000.
This bill would succeed in providing lower income households additional relief, but it would not automatically adjust this relief to account for inflation. As a result, it would give smaller amounts of assistance every year that Honolulu’s cost of living rose.
For this reason, we believe Bill 38 would be a more useful vehicle to lower residents’ property tax burden.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
