Census poverty data for 2023 highlights the importance of government assistance
Promising trends for families across the nation, but many continue to feel the lasting effects of widespread unemployment during the pandemic, a rising cost of living, and inadequate government assistance.
How Hawaiʻi’s hardworking undocumented immigrants support our economy and communities
A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy lifts up the significant tax contributions that undocumented immigrants make to our federal, state and local governments through the taxes they pay each year.
Hawaiʻi’s elected leaders buy-in to costly “trickle-down” myth
Passing an “historic” tax cut that mostly benefits the wealthiest Hawaiʻi residents is not the path to a healthy economy that works for working people.
The big budget trouble with HB2404’s over-broad and sweeping tax cuts
Last minute changes to the bill, made without public scrutiny, will increase its cost by nearly eight-fold, while higher-income households will get a far bigger benefit than those struggling to make ends meet.
Hawaiʻi’s capital gains loophole floats the rich as working families struggle to stay above water
In the interest of tax fairness, the State of Hawaiʻi should tax capital gains—income from selling assets such as stocks, bonds, art and real estate—at the same rates as income made from wages, salaries and other compensation for work.
Trickle-down estate tax break bills are bad policy for Hawaiʻi
After decades of evidence, we know “trickle-down” economics is a smokescreen to aid the wealthy in creating preferential tax policies.
Leverage Hawaiʻi’s conveyance tax to equitably fund affordable housing, land conservation and infrastructure needs
The legislature has the opportunity this session to raise revenue to pay for much needed affordable housing—as well as land conservation and infrastructure—by increasing conveyance tax rates on investment properties.
Focusing in on people-first policy for the 2024 legislative session
Hawaiʻi Appleseed announces its legislative priorities for the 2024 session.
Legislative agenda 2023: tax reforms to boost incomes and fund investments in our future
Top of the list of immediate challenges for Hawaiʻi is to find a way to prevent our people from being overwhelmed by the high and rising cost of living in the islands.
What made the 2022 Hawaiʻi legislative session a win for working families?
After multiple years with little progress on policy to help working families survive Hawaiʻi’s highest-in-the-nation cost of living, several factors came together to deliver a banner year in 2022.
Community-driven progress on Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing crisis
The only to address Hawai‘i’s long-standing housing crisis is through a comprehensive, community- and data-driven approach designed not to just build more housing, but to build the housing that Hawaiʻi residents need and can afford.
Put more money in working people’s pockets and reduce housing costs
This legislative session, Hawaiʻi Appleseed is pushing hard to implement a significant minimum wage increase, expand successful tax credits for low-income families, and lay the groundwork for housing policy that will mean no one in Hawaiʻi is left unsheltered because of poverty.
Trump’s Public Charge rule could cost Hawaiʻi tens of millions in revenue
The financial cost of the rule change is in addition to the harm done to the health and resilience of immigrant families through the “chilling” effect on benefits-use that has already been documented in Hawaiʻi.
No cause for panic: Hawaiʻi’s economy is OK
A quarter of slow growth is no reason for lawmakers to forgo important economic justice measures like raising the minimum wage.
Hawaiʻi state budget highlights, 2017–19
Hawaiʻi’s budget is the blueprint for our current and future prosperity, and is an economic engine in itself, making up 20 percent of the state’s gross domestic product.
Report emphasizes need for Hawaiʻi working family tax credit
Report highlights the financial situation of Hawaiʻi residents and their opinion of tax credits that would let low-income workers keep more of what they earn.
Appleseed releases 2016 State of Poverty report
The report brings together the most recent available data to provide a snapshot of how low-income residents have fared after the economic recovery from the Great Recession.