The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council on Sept. 4, 2024.
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Sept. 4, 2024, 10 a.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council
Tommy Waters, Chair
Esther Kiaʻāina, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 47 (2024) — RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY TAXATION
Aloha Chair Waters, Vice-Chair Kiaʻāina and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 47 CD1 (2024), which would allow owners of properties in special management areas that have been family-owned for at least 50 years to designate their properties as “aina kupuna.”
The dedication would last for 10 years and exempt the property from all property taxes except Honolulu’s $300 minimum tax.
Among the qualifying conditions, the properties could not be used for commercial purposes, though they could be used for agricultural purposes such as forestry, grazing and fruit and vegetable growing.
Bill 47 (2024) is modeled after Maui County’s “aina kupuna” tax break, which became law in 2021. For fiscal 2025, Maui’s program will provide 33 property owners $859,056 in tax relief.[1]
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] “Selected Real Property Statistics for Budget Consideration, Fiscal Year 2024-2025,” Maui County Department of Finance, Real Property Assessment Division, p. 29.
