Shelby Mattos 12/2/24 Shelby Mattos 12/2/24

Hunting for a new place in renters purgatory

How four O‘ahu residents navigate fees, scams, unanswered calls, intrusive rules and housing options that run from “crappy and crappier.”

Susan Le 11/20/24 Susan Le 11/20/24

The empty homes tax: A promising step on affordable housing—if we get it right

The Honolulu City Council is considering legislation with the potential to bring much-needed assistance to a market out of reach for many.

Ben Angarone 9/24/24 Ben Angarone 9/24/24

Honolulu empty homes tax proposal advances

At 3 percent, annual revenue could be about $180 million, according to a recent estimate from Hawaiʻi Appleseed.

Tom Yamachika 9/23/24 Tom Yamachika 9/23/24

Raise your awareness with the Hawaiʻi Budget Primer 2024

The pamphlet’s cover page says that it is written for “Candidates, Elected Officials and Concerned Members of the Public.” Lots of us in the public should be concerned. It’s your money, after all. The work is easy to understand and is a worthwhile reference.

Victoria Budiono 9/19/24 Victoria Budiono 9/19/24

Report backs empty-homes tax to address housing crisis on Oʻahu

To address investment-driven purchases and support affordable housing for working families, Appleseed recommended a 3–5 percent tax, which could generate annual revenue ranging from $183 million to $305 million.

Big Island Now Staff 9/14/24 Big Island Now Staff 9/14/24

Lawmakers, nonprofit holding virtual forum to educate, engage public in crafting Hawaiʻi’s People’s Budget

On Sunday, state lawmakers will host a virtual forum in partnership with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice to discuss crafting of a “People’s Budget” for the 2025 legislative session.

Catherine Cruz 9/12/24 Catherine Cruz 9/12/24

State Budget 101: New handbook simplifies process for curious citizens

State Rep. Della Au Belatti and Hawaiʻi Appleseed Deputy Director Will White stop by HPR to invite people curious about the budget to get in on the shortcut to understanding.

The Sunshine Editorial Board 9/4/24 The Sunshine Editorial Board 9/4/24

A Hawaiʻi state budget for dummies

In case you haven’t noticed, Hawaiʻi’s state budget is a very difficult thing to make sense of unless you’re trained as a forensic accountant. Thankfully, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center has released a Budget Primer to make things simpler.

Amee Hiʻilawe Neves 9/1/24 Amee Hiʻilawe Neves 9/1/24

Short term rentals, long term issues for Hawaiʻi County

According to an analysis by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, one in 24 homes on Hawaiʻi Island are short term rentals – 52% of which are owned by non-Hawaiʻi residents.

Stewart Yerton 7/8/24 Stewart Yerton 7/8/24

An Oʻahu teacher’s futile apartment hunt shows how bad the rental market is

Housing policy advocates say Helen Lau's story is all too common amid Honolulu's housing crisis.

Jill Kuramoto 6/3/24 Jill Kuramoto 6/3/24

Governor Green enacts historic tax relief for working class

Taxpayers could see higher paychecks starting next year. However, the tax cuts raise concerns about how the state will manage to balance the budget in the years ahead.

Ben Gutierrez 5/24/24 Ben Gutierrez 5/24/24

The gap between median home prices and household income in Hawaiʻi? It’s ‘scary’

Based on Honolulu’s median home price of $1,085,800 and median family income of $120,100, the index said a mortgage requires 73 percent of the median paycheck.

Christine Donnelly 5/16/24 Christine Donnelly 5/16/24

Do jaywalkers in Hawaiʻi even get tickets?

Yes, thousands of people in Hawaiʻi are ticketed each year, at rates higher than other states, according to a report by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.

Ashley Mizuo 5/14/24 Ashley Mizuo 5/14/24

Concerns rise for low-income families over legislature's recent tax cut measure

The cost of the tax cuts concerns some advocates. An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated an initial annual revenue loss of $656 million, that balloons to close to $1.5 billion by 2030. That's about 10 percent of the state's total budget.

Megan Tagami 5/10/24 Megan Tagami 5/10/24

Hawaiʻi lawmakers spent big on public schools this year

But education advocates said the Legislature did little to address problems such as school bus driver shortages, fire safety and the need for more preschool teachers.

Kevin Dayton and Chad Blair 5/2/24 Kevin Dayton and Chad Blair 5/2/24

Lawmakers give final approval to a ‘historic’ income tax cut in long day of voting

The tax bill along with nearly 200 other measures now go to Gov. Josh Green for his consideration.

Daryl Huff 4/29/24 Daryl Huff 4/29/24

It’s being called Hawaiʻi’s biggest tax break, but some will get more help than others

Although pleased the inheritance tax reduction failed, Hawaiʻi Appleseed was unhappy that the reform bill delivers so much relief to people with the highest incomes.