The protectionist federal maritime law costs the average Hawaii family almost $1,800 a year, according to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s groundbreaking study, “Quantifying the cost of the Jones Act to Hawaii.”
The new research shows that the Jones Act overall costs Hawaii $1.2 billion annually, including 9,100 fewer jobs and $148 million in unrealized tax revenues.
Discussing the U.S.-build requirement of the act specifically, the study says removing it would save the state $531.7 million a year, add 3,860 jobs and generate $30.8 million in state and local tax revenues.
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Jones Act reform that would address the Act’s shipbuilding and cabotage restrictions. Learn more >>