Aim higher for Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage

However, these arguments run counter to what’s already evident. Job losses have not been linked to past raises. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is here but has not sufficiently offset the poverty levels witnessed in the spread of homelessness and social ills. Multiple studies have documented that nearly half the population barely gets by.

Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, the nonprofit advocacy group, asserts that $17 comes closer to what single people need to “meet their basic needs,” citing data from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).

That is the minimum that Appleseed wants to see in place by 2025, adding $8,000 in annual income for full-time work—much more than most low-wage taxpayers here would receive in tax credits.