Budget & Taxes

How Hawaii's county lawmakers can provide tax relief to offset higher property assessments

The link between increased valuations and higher property taxes can be broken through rate cuts, exemptions and tax credits

The case for exempting medical services from Hawaii's general excise tax

Because the GET is a gross receipts tax, it becomes a significant overhead expense for private practice physicians, making it extremely difficult to be profitable — especially for new doctors who are just starting out and still paying their student loans.

How Hawaii's GET adds to island healthcare costs

Exempting medical services from Hawaii’s general excise tax would result in a $222 million tax cut for consumers and healthcare professionals.

State of the State Budget 2020

Hawaii’s state budget does not have big enough cushion to deal with a deep recession, if one should hit, so lawmakers should rein in spending and build up a financial reserve, rather than dig deeper into taxpayers’ pockets.

Economic Freedom of North America 2018

The Economic Freedom of North America 2018 report outlines Hawaii’s statistical paradox — Hawaii moved up a surprising eight notches this year in a national ranking measuring economic freedom in all 50 states, from 45 in 2017 to 37, but its overall economic freedom worsened.

How to resolve Hawaii's public pension debt crisis

The state Employee Retirement System has almost $13 billion in unfunded liabilities, which could jeopardize future public worker retirement benefits and impose a significant burden on Hawaii taxpayers.

Economic Freedom of North America 2017

Hawaii moved up a notch nationwide in 2017 in terms of economic freedom, but the Aloha State still is near the bottom, according to factors from 2015 analyzed in the Economic Freedom of North America report.