Opinion

Community Voices: Persistence amid permit issues to hold services at Waikīkī Beach

Waikīkī Beach Chaplaincy has served the community surrounding the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waīkikī Beach Resort for 55 years. Last month, the chaplaincy received a “Cease and Desist Order” from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for its Easter and weekly services. Pastor David “Waxer” Tipton, director and president of the chaplaincy since 2021, shares how the organization is handling permitting pitfalls this year.

Community Voices: Supporting Government’s Central Services

Hawai‘i's state Department of Transportation pays the most among all departments in internal fees back to state government for its shared expenses. Here's why it may be stuck with that arrangement.

Community Voices: Turns out you can fight city hall — and win!

Trapped in Hawai‘i County permitting limbo, Shahzaad Ausman could neither live in his home nor renovate it. So he took officials to court. “If the government can wrongfully revoke my permit, it can revoke many other permits. We must hold officials accountable and stand up for our rights,” he said.

Community Voices: Taxing Capital Gains

The Hawai‘i state Legislature wants to change taxes on capital gains by some as yet unstated amount by taxing, for example, the money you gain selling your house at rates comparable to state income taxes. For individuals, this could amount to as much as a 52% increase to the rate someone would pay on capital gains.

Community Voices: We can do more to help Hawai‘i businesses rebound

Hawai‘i’s anemic economic growth — the second slowest in the country — should be a sign that we haven’t done enough to help local business rebound since the Covid-19 lockdowns. If anything, it seems we’re doing the opposite. The major tax hikes that are still alive in the current legislative session all promise to be significant burdens on local businesses.

Community Voices: Lahaina future brighter, but keep pedal to the metal

Community Voices: The new tax cuts website

The Hawaii State Tax Watch Doggie has gone online to check it out and has a few quibbles.

Community Voices: Legislature poised to fix a state wrong?

First, local government shut down restaurants during the Covid-19 pandemic. Then the federal government offered them relief money to partially make up for their losses. Then state government taxed that relief as revenue. A bill in the Hawai‘i state legislature would undo that last step.

Community Voices: Universal vax for Hawai‘i

A new bill would tax health plans so that the state can buy bulk vaccines for people not otherwise entitled to receive free vaccines. It also immunizes the state itself — against lawsuits.

Community Voices: Let’s close the book on school impact fees

It's not just big developers who have to pay these fees, which add to the cost of housing, even individuals adding an ADU have to come up with thousands of dollars.

Community Voices: Taxpayers need a break from old liens

Why the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i drafted a bill to stop the state Department of Taxation from leaving liens on taxpayers on the books past their 15-year statute of limitations.

Community Voices: Kōloa Rum challenge could be what kills the Jones Act

Recently, there has been momentum in Congress to revisit the law, which for more than a hundred years has been limiting shipping competition between U.S. ports and had an outsized negative impact on the residents of Hawai‘i and other U.S. states and territories who rely heavily on waterborne transportation for their imports.