Photo by Charley Myers It looks like we could be on the verge of a new tourism policy for Hawaii. Legislators have been dickering this past week over how much money the state tourism agency should receive and under what conditions. Ultimately, however, the state Hawaii Tourism Authority might receive
Well, Joe Kent tried his best during a Monday morning interview with KHON2 reporter Dallis Ontiveros to explain the negative ramifications of Bill 41. But Honolulu’s mayor went ahead and signed the bill the next day anyway Approved 8-1 by the Honolulu City Council, Bill 41 essentially bans short-term rentals
Based on how short-term vacation rentals are so often portrayed, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought their owners were all terrible people, with no aloha for their neighbors or Hawaii. Mostly they are just local folks who are renting out a room to make some extra money. But more likely you
Photo by Charley Myers The following article was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on Dec. 18, 2021. ______________ In their zeal to “save” the state budget, Hawaii’s lawmakers created new monsters — the county TAT surcharges — which threaten to drag down Hawaii’s economy Are more taxes on
In the name of increasing affordable housing on Maui, well-intended people are poised to wreak havoc on the island’s vacation rental market. Jen Russo, executive director of the Maui Vacation Rental Association, explained the looming problems during her appearance on the Nov. 8 edition of “Hawaii Together,” hosted by Keli’i
Hawaii risks being left out in the cold unless its delegates to Congress act quickly to help reform the 1886 Passenger Vessel Services Act. The federal maritime law has been a hindrance to transportation throughout the U.S. ever since it was enacted 135 years ago. That’s because it requires all passengers
Photo by Charley Myers The following testimony was submitted by Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Honolulu City Council’s budget committee on Oct. 20, 2021, regarding Bill 40, which would establish a 3% transient accommodations tax for the City and County
Hawaii is more than happy to tax the golden goose of tourism. But when it comes to feeding, caring for and cleaning up after it, we can’t seem to get on the same page. Last week, the Hawaii Tourism Authority announced a plan to decrease tourism on Oahu. Yes, the
If you want to find something that perfectly captures Hawaii’s schizophrenic tourism policy, you couldn’t do much better than House Bill 862. The bill sends an inconsistent message about tourism, suggesting that the industry shouldn’t have government funding while simultaneously making it more vital to state revenues. It was one
Photo by Charley Myers This article was originally emailed as a “Reader Alert” on April 18, 2021, to everyone on the institute’s email list. If you are not already on the list and would like to be, please email info@grassrootinstitute.org. _____________ Shifting public sentiment is making it more politically viable to end
Photo by Charley Myers It looks like we could be on the verge of a new tourism policy for Hawaii. Legislators have been dickering this past week over how much money the state tourism agency should receive and under what conditions. Ultimately, however, the state Hawaii Tourism Authority might receive
Well, Joe Kent tried his best during a Monday morning interview with KHON2 reporter Dallis Ontiveros to explain the negative ramifications of Bill 41. But Honolulu’s mayor went ahead and signed the bill the next day anyway Approved 8-1 by the Honolulu City Council, Bill 41 essentially bans short-term rentals
Based on how short-term vacation rentals are so often portrayed, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought their owners were all terrible people, with no aloha for their neighbors or Hawaii. Mostly they are just local folks who are renting out a room to make some extra money. But more likely you
Photo by Charley Myers The following article was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on Dec. 18, 2021. ______________ In their zeal to “save” the state budget, Hawaii’s lawmakers created new monsters — the county TAT surcharges — which threaten to drag down Hawaii’s economy Are more taxes on
In the name of increasing affordable housing on Maui, well-intended people are poised to wreak havoc on the island’s vacation rental market. Jen Russo, executive director of the Maui Vacation Rental Association, explained the looming problems during her appearance on the Nov. 8 edition of “Hawaii Together,” hosted by Keli’i
Hawaii risks being left out in the cold unless its delegates to Congress act quickly to help reform the 1886 Passenger Vessel Services Act. The federal maritime law has been a hindrance to transportation throughout the U.S. ever since it was enacted 135 years ago. That’s because it requires all passengers
Photo by Charley Myers The following testimony was submitted by Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Honolulu City Council’s budget committee on Oct. 20, 2021, regarding Bill 40, which would establish a 3% transient accommodations tax for the City and County
Hawaii is more than happy to tax the golden goose of tourism. But when it comes to feeding, caring for and cleaning up after it, we can’t seem to get on the same page. Last week, the Hawaii Tourism Authority announced a plan to decrease tourism on Oahu. Yes, the
If you want to find something that perfectly captures Hawaii’s schizophrenic tourism policy, you couldn’t do much better than House Bill 862. The bill sends an inconsistent message about tourism, suggesting that the industry shouldn’t have government funding while simultaneously making it more vital to state revenues. It was one
Photo by Charley Myers This article was originally emailed as a “Reader Alert” on April 18, 2021, to everyone on the institute’s email list. If you are not already on the list and would like to be, please email info@grassrootinstitute.org. _____________ Shifting public sentiment is making it more politically viable to end
