By Lowell L. Kalapa - One of the recommendations made by consultants to the current Hawaii Tax Review Commission is almost an after thought, you know like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. The recommendation made by the consultant was to either cap certain tax credits or replace those credits with grant programs. The [...]
BY FRED HEMMINGS - The Tax Review Commission hired a Mainland company to perform a review of Hawaii taxes and make recommendations. The PFM Group’s recommendations on ways to raise taxes are insulting. Hawaii citizens already rank among the highest taxed in the nation. Hawaii’s taxes are regressive and cruel. The PFM Group recommended raising taxes in numerous ways. [...]
By Lowell L. Kalapa - One of the recommendations made by consultants to the current Tax Review Commission is almost an after thought, you know like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. The recommendation made by the consultant was to either cap certain tax credits or replace those credits with grant programs. [...]
BY JUDGE STEVE ALM - I watched the recent Hawaii Reporter television interview featuring Honolulu City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and Deputy Attorney General Kevin Takata with great interest. Mr. Kaneshiro made some statements about HOPE Probation and Drug Court that are inaccurate and I thought it was important to set the record straight. First, Mr. Kaneshiro [...]
BY ROBERT THOMAS - Check this out. A report from the Maui News that "Environmental court would be perfect fit here - judge." Apparently, there is an effort to get the Judiciary or the Legislature to form another court with specialized jurisdiction, either formally like the Family Courts, or more likely on a less formalized [...]
By Lowell L. Kalapa - As reported earlier, the current Tax Review Commission seems bent on finding ways to raise new tax revenues as it has directed its consultants to come up with ways to find more money. This effort is based on forecasts of what state expenditures will look like in the future and assumes [...]
BY RENE UMBERGER - One way to understand Hawaii’s aquarium trade is to look at the big picture and compare it to the trade in other island states and nations. A new study published in May makes it possible, for the first time, to do just that. Examining U.S. import documents from 2005, the report revealed [...]
BY LOWELL L. KALAPA - There will be a national summit on affordable housing that will be held in Honolulu next week and it appears that all the usual participants will be at the table trying to figure out how to increase the supply of affordable housing in Hawaii and around the nation. No doubt, there [...]
By Kēhaunani Abad, PhD - As early as 2005, the Oʻahu Island Burial Council (OIBC) raised red flags. The rail project would undoubtedly impact Hawaiian burials. Three years later, when the OIBC had not received promised communications from the City and County of Honolulu, the council asked for an update. At that time, and at many [...]
BY LOWELL L. KALAPA - Well, the Primary Election is over and all eyes are focused on the BIG PRIZE come November, but will voters be salved with the political rhetoric or will they ask the hard questions? As noted in last week’s Commentary, elected officials at all levels have resorted to spending our hard-earned [...]
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