#TAT Maui

The Green Fee increases the state’s transient accommodations tax from 10.25% to 11%, which is expected to generate about $100 million annually. For example, a $400 hotel room will incur an additional $3 per night in taxes, with proceeds dedicated to protecting Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate Committee on Ways and Means passed out several bills aimed at addressing key priorities for the Senate, including bills to assist in wildfire recovery, agriculture, economic development, homelessness and housing.

The mayor believes the surcharge will serve as an incentive for Maui County to crack down on the growing number of illegal vacation rentals that don’t pay TAT.

First reading of Maui County’s fiscal year 2021 budget has been moved from Friday, May 22 to Tuesday, May 26. Council Chair Alice L. Lee, who made the announcement, said it is to allow for inclusion of additional funding from the state and federal government. This includes an estimated $66 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, approved by Congress in the CARES Act, and additional money in transient accommodations tax revenue.

For Maui that means there’s additional $15 million in TAT revenues, going from the current $23.4 million to $38.3 million.

Arakawa, provided a list of legislative priorities, which include: Front Street Apts; funding for Kula Ag park; and CIP funds for a central Maui transit hub.

The state House committees on Transportation and Finance on Wednesday passed a rail funding bill that continues to advance during a special legislative session.

Hawai‘i State Senators today approved 318 bills on third reading. Sixty-six bills were approved earlier on third reading for a total of 384 measures this…

Hokama says his proposal would decrease real property tax rates for most classifications to lessen the impact of higher valuations.

Topics to be covered include the Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, beach liability, issues relating to homelessness, new road from Māʻalaea over the “pali,” and the possible consolidation of some state and county departments.

“Be careful what you wish for. You may find an advantage on one hand, and a disadvantage on the other; but for purposes of meeting community needs, service needs, the division of the revenues from travel and tourism really should be discussed,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie.

HB 1671 would return 44.8% of TAT revenues to the counties, which translates to approximately $165 million in annual TAT revenue to the counties.

The Budget and Finance Committee will hold evening meetings throughout the county in April to receive community input on the fiscal year 2015 budget.

Includes: $26.2 million for road resurfacing and improvements; $21.8 million for Water Supply improvements; and $27.3 million for Parks facility improvements.

“We may actually have to consider removing our lifeguards and closing down a lot of the beaches — which would be one of the things we absolutely don’t want to do.”

House Speaker Joseph Souki of Maui called on his fellow lawmakers to look at creating a system of dispensaries where those in need can legally buy marijuana for medical purposes when prescribed by a doctor.

All four counties face similar issues, including: liability, unfunded mandates for employee benefit packages, reducing costs through consolidation of services, and issues surrounding the transient accommodations tax or TAT.

In the area of economic development, Rep. Souki said, lawmakers made permanent the current TAT rate, and increased funding to aggressively market the state’s visitor industry as Hawaiʻi competes with other travel destinations.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa will join Council Chair Gladys Baisa in lobbying state lawmakers on Friday in an effort to retain the County’s hotel room tax revenue.

More than a dozen people signed up to testify today on the county budget as the council resumes deliberations in the hopes of finalizing the document. The council had trimmed $18 million from the budget earlier this month amid uncertainty over access to the county’s share of the transient accommodation tax (TAT). Since then, a […]