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.
Transportation barriers block the route to opportunities for many on Oʻahu, study finds
On the same day a study was released calling for more accessible public transportation, fares for TheBus were hiked.
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.
Why housing affordability progress stalls out in Hawaiʻi
What is missing is not knowledge, evidence, or available policy options. What is missing is honesty about whom these reforms actually threaten and why bills with broad public support keep dying for reasons that rarely get named.
Luxury home tax pitch to fund Hawaiian Homes flopped. Now what?
The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands came away with some funds but will need to look for other revenue sources.
Creating a Hawaiʻi we can afford
For decades, we’ve lived with the highest cost of living in the country, in a service oriented economy where wage growth lags far behind rising prices. What can we do about it? We come together and find solutions.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers debate scaling back promised tax cuts
In 2024, lawmakers passed sweeping tax relief under Act 46, promising phased income tax reductions for Hawaiʻi residents over several years. But the state’s financial outlook has changed.
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.
Scrutinize pause of tax cuts for all
Freezing progression of at least some of the state’s planned tax cuts is the clearest, cleanest path to preserving financial balance—at least until the effect of federal spending cuts is fully determined.
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.
New online tool shows disparities between communities on basic needs
Annalisa Burgos asks Hawaiʻi Appleseed how its Economic Justice Data Dashboard can help focus government spending.
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.
Hawaiʻi to restrict soda purchases under SNAP in 2026; local groups oppose
Instead, increasing incentives for fruits and vegetables does a better job of promoting healthy eating and reducing purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages among SNAP participants.
Counties urged to boost role protecting residents from hunger
A new policy brief from Hawaiʻi Appleseed argues that counties are increasingly positioned to act as front-line responders as federal resources recede and local needs grow.
5 ways Hawaiʻi counties can help address food insecurity
A new nonprofit policy brief recommends areas of focus for leaders at the county level to make the most impact on local food systems in coordination with state and federal resources.
Policy brief calls for expanded county role in addressing food security in Hawaiʻi
A new policy brief from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice urges leaders on the county level to address food insecurity as federal nutrition programs face significant funding cuts.
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.
With hunger growing on Oʻahu, a push to put food security to a vote
The Charter Commission is holding a first hearing today of a proposal to create a food security fund using property tax revenue.
Green suggests Hawaiʻi might scale back on income tax cuts
The governor also says he will likely tap into the state’s “rainy day” reserve to draw down hundreds of millions of dollars to balance the state budget.