Hawaiʻi wealth flight fears are overblown
The evidence points only one way: Top earners stay where their lives are rooted. And Hawaiʻi has plenty to keep them here.
State budget directs $200 million to Maui wildfire recovery
Hawaiʻi Appleseed reported the state maintains a regressive tax structure, where the poorest 20 percent of residents pay 14.1 percent in effective state and local taxes, and the wealthiest 1 percent pay 10.1 percent.
Legislature shows support for local agriculture, food security
Food security advocates are also celebrating policies that will make it easier for kūpuna and inmates nearing the end of their sentences to participate in SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Tax fairness promoted in bills would implement major changes
The Hawaii Tax Fairness Coalition is advocating for bills that would make major changes to the state’s income tax, capital gains tax, real estate sales tax and a tax on income for real estate investment trusts.
Free bus rides for keiki? So much for that
One supporter said she hopes the effort will come up again in a future year.
Balancing the state budget could require pauses to income tax cut plan
With federal funding cuts on the horizon, state lawmakers are advancing measures proposed by Gov. Josh Green that would pause some of the “historic” state tax cuts passed in 2024.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers debate Gov. Green’s freeze on income tax cut
Because lower tax rates through this year will continue at the 2026 level beyond this year, Green’s office said Hawaiʻi families will save $5.4 billion over the next five years after $1.5 billion this year under his proposal.
Protecting Hawaiʻi’s future demands pause on tax cuts
In the face of severe and unpredictable federal cuts, the plan to pause future state income tax cuts is a responsible safeguard for the very foundations of our community.
Annual passes for TheBus are set to increase by $110
Those in opposition argued that public transit is generally used by those from lower-income households, and that increasing bus fares would add to the struggles of Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living.
Honolulu City Council votes to raise public transit fares
The Council voted 6-3 — with Radiant Cordero, Matt Weyer, and Dos Santos-Tam dissenting — to adopt the new transit fares.
Honolulu bus, rail fares set to go up this summer
Council members voted Wednesday to boost the cost of an adult bus pass by $10 a month, along with other price hikes.
Hawaiʻi coalition calls for tax fairness for local needs
As Hawaiʻi struggles to meet growing needs in housing, education, health care and climate resilience, a broad coalition of community groups, labor unions and nonprofit advocates is pushing lawmakers to confront a long-standing question: how to pay for it.
5 Questions: Will White, Appleseed Hawaiʻi executive director
This year marks an inflection point for Hawaiʻi. We can either accept the federal government’s retreat from our public benefits system, or reinvent and reinvest in new systems that work to support Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable families.
Escalating climate disasters could make homes uninsurable, new report warns
Hawaiʻi is facing a rapidly escalating insurance crisis driven by climate change, aging housing, and a sharp retreat by private insurers, according to a new report released by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.
Why does Hawaiʻi have a GET?
The General Excise Tax. We all know it, we all complain about it, especially the way it stacks up in transaction after transaction, raising prices. But there was a time when it didn't exist at all. Here's a look at who created it, when, and, most importantly, why.
Lighting the way to safer streets in Waipahu and ʻEwa
Residents in these Leeward neighborhoods are about to make their bus stops and crosswalks safer in a project led by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, aided with federal grant money.
More Hawaiʻi residents are going hungry, new statewide report shows
The report was produced at a time when food security was bad in Hawaiʻi. But now, advocates say, it’s even worse.
How parking spot mandates affect affordable housing in Honolulu
Parking mandates can have a large impact on affordable housing projects, according to a report by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.
Parking mandates could raise Honolulu housing costs, new study finds
While the city of Honolulu has made changes to reduce parking requirements in Transit Oriented Development areas, Hawaiʻi Appleseed says that policy should be demand-based instead of a one-size-fits-all rule.
Can Hawaiʻi turn around another deadly year on the roads?
An executive order emphasizes enforcement and safety education, but data shows infrastructure is also a major factor in many fatal accidents.