Honolulu's severe housing crisis is being exacerbated by a growing trend of vacant homes purchased as investments by non-residents. To reverse this trend, Hawaiʻi Appleseed recommends a flat tax of 3–5 percent on empty homes.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers have an opportunity to tailor the sales tax on real property so that it reinvests nonresident wealth into our island communities through affordable housing development.

A new report provides solutions for lawmakers to solve Hawaiʻi’s vacation rental problem.

Vacation rentals offer the possibility of extra income for some residents and additional tax revenue for the state, but many of the benefits go to nonresident investors.