Honolulu City Council’s empty-homes tax measure advances

But several University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Mānoa students—many of whom appeared at a news conference attended by Council Chair Waters outside Honolulu Hale prior to the meeting—supported passage of Bill 46.

Among them, Albany Coate, a UH senior, said, “This bill is important.”

“Real people are experiencing real issues with housing right now,” she said. “That’s why we need to pass this bill as soon as possible, so we can start feeling the impacts of it as soon as possible.”

Piper Neri, a UH student, agreed.

“Too many local families are being priced out of their own neighborhoods while homes sit empty, owned by absentee investors or reserved as second homes for occasional visits,” she said. “Bill 46 is a practical solution that encourages these vacant properties to be used for what they should be: homes for people, not financial assets.”

Others, like the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, recommends the city implement a 3–5 percent EHT.

The group says such a tax—levied on properties left vacant for more than six months each year—could generate $183 million to $305 million for the city annually.