by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Jul 25, 2017 | Pension, President's Column, Website
Hawaii may be giving millennials the short end of the stick when it comes to the state’s unfunded public pension liabilities. That’s because the Aloha State owes more than $12 billion to the public pension system, and its own projections show that debt increasing to...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Jul 14, 2017 | President's Column, Rail, Website
It’s not hard to understand why public opinion about Honolulu’s rail project has been souring. The official talk may be all about promised construction and unfortunate funding gaps, but we’ve all seen this situation before on a smaller scale: It looks like...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Jun 13, 2017 | President's Column, Shared Economy, Website
Hawaii’s home-sharing economy is under threat by some Hawaii lawmakers who want to ban it, and others who want to tax it. But our lawmakers should stick to a simple principle: no taxation without legalization. For years, Hawaii counties have been eager to ban...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | May 22, 2017 | President's Column, Taxes, Website
This year, we’ve noticed an interesting change in the ordinary tax-and-spend governing philosophy of state policymakers. The spending proposals remain, while the accompanying tax hikes often stalled before making it through the legislature. But this isn’t...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | May 8, 2017 | Legislature, President's Column, Rail, Website
Even the Legislature can’t seem to figure out what to do about ballooning Rail costs. In previous columns, I’ve criticized the lack of dissent that allows tax-and-spend policies to move smoothly through the Hawaii Legislature. But as the session came to a...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Apr 4, 2017 | President's Column, Taxes, Website
Any aficionado of the Robin Hood legends would be quick to point out that those in government are more accurately in the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham than the legendary outlaw … and that’s probably part of the problem. Because while many policymakers...