“It’s the Economy, Stupid” is a catchphrase made famous by Bill Clinton when he ran for president in 1992 and won. Recently, we have been getting lots of news about
TAXWatch: HI-5 – Have We Stopped the Leakage Yet?
Just three months ago, the Hawaii State Auditor released the latest in a series of reports over the years on the Hawaii Deposit Beverage Container Program, known as HI-5. That
TAXWatch: DOE, Fork Over That General Ledger!
The Hawaii State Tax Watch Doggie’s son has come home from school, and today he has a few more questions than usual. Q. Dad! What’s a general ledger? A. Grrr…I’m
TAXWatch: Shining Light on Revenue Estimates
At the Legislature, I often hear legislators considering proposed tax legislation ask our Department of Taxation (DOTAX) how much money a certain proposal would bring in (if it’s a “revenue
TAXWatch: The ‘Rail Skim’ Suit – We Lost the Battle, Taxpayers Won the War
A long time ago, in October 2015 to be more precise, the Tax Foundation of Hawaii sued the State. Why? Because at the time, the State was skimming 10 cents
TAXWatch: Gut-n-Replace 2019
This week we’ll discuss a couple of examples from this legislative session of the controversial but commonly used techniquecalled “Gut and Replace” where a bill is amended so much that it
TAXWatch: A Threat to Judicial Independence
When we learn about our three branches of government, we’re usually told that the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carries them out, and the judiciary branch interprets
TAXWatch: Carbon Credits
Today I have some help from the Hawaii State Watch Doggie’s wife, who is a passionate researcher. Those who know them know who’s the brains in their family! Q: I’ve
TAXWatch: OHA’s LLCs – The Noose Is Tightening
Our Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) formed some limited liability companies (LLCs) a while ago and dropped significant assets into them, including some 1,875 acres in Waimea Valleyon Oahu that were
TAXWatch: HIDOE Achieves Success with Job Order Contracting
We’ve written a lot about the Hawaii State Watch Doggie. Those who have visited our Twitter site have seen that the Doggie is a family man, with a wife and son. His