New data tool gives side-by-side comparison of House and Senate budget drafts
This update is the third in a series of data-forward additions Hawaiʻi Appleseed has made to its website in recent months, reflecting the organization’s commitment to transparency, accessibility, and evidence-based advocacy.
Hawaiʻi income tax cuts hang in balance as legislative session nears end
House and Senate committees focused on state finances pursued different paths in early March to preserve more or all of the scheduled tax breaks for all but the highest-income households.
With new federal cuts looming, legislature must fulfill 100-year promise to Hawaiians
Senate Bill 3028 would give DHHL a permanent, dedicated revenue stream funded by restructuring the state’s conveyance tax.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Economic prosperity rises from the bottom up
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice looks at the recent legislative session's hits and misses in this Community Voice column for Aloha State Daily.
Tax bills win preliminary approval from Hawaiʻi lawmakers
The House and Senate are also considering allowing legalized gambling for the first time in state history.
Hawaiʻi could raise its capital gains tax to 9%
Lawmakers are considering increasing the capital gains tax from about 7–9 percent.
No income tax for working class? Unions float radical proposal
A better approach would be to expand an existing state tax credit that was created to offset some of the impact of the excise tax on food, or to create a new child tax credit to support working families.
Current state of wealth taxes in America
This article explores the various kinds of wealth taxes, the history of wealth taxes in the United States, the most notable positions in the current wealth tax debate, recent proposals for wealth taxes at the federal level and the prospects of those proposals being implemented, and a state-by-state breakdown of current and proposed state wealth tax measures.
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.
The last major tax bills still alive this session would cut income and estate taxes
It's a tight budget year and lawmakers are being criticized for advancing a major reduction in the state inheritance tax that would only benefit Hawaiʻi's wealthiest families.
What do estate tax cuts for the wealthy say about Hawaiʻi’s priorities?
Should the tax cut become law, it will speak volumes about our state’s priorities.
With cloudy state finances, Hawaiʻi’s ‘rainy day’ fund held for future rainy day
“You have a rainy day fund, and it’s supposed to be used for emergencies,” said Tom Yamachika, president of the nonprofit Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi. “You’ve got an emergency.”
Rethinking Hawaiʻi’s conveyance tax
Hawaiʻi stands at the critical decision point in investing in our housing needs: The enactment of HB2364 holds the promise of a brighter, more inclusive future for all residents.
A proposed constitutional amendment would let Hawaiʻi use property taxes to fund schools
The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2018, but the state Supreme Court invalidated the ballot measure for using vague and unclear language.