Those of us who are getting along in years may remember the “general income tax credit,” a line on our state income tax return where we could claim a one-dollar
TAXWatch: Guess Which Agency May Be Forgoing Millions in Federal Dollars?
One article that recently appeared in the Star-Advertiser was titled, “State forgoing millions in federal reimbursements.” The state agency referred to in that article was our Department of Education. We
TAXWatch: Guess Which Agency Can Impose State Tax?
Lots of the controversy swirling around the ballot measure seeking to impose a “surcharge” on investment property to support public education involves our Department of Education. The DOE currently receives
TAXWatch: Say It’s a Tax!
The news recently mentioned a lawsuit that the City and County of Honolulu, now joined by the other three counties, has leveled against our state government regarding the HSTA-sponsored constitutional
TAXWatch: Taking Exemptions Without Really Knowing
These days, our General Excise Tax contains exemptions and reduced rates that are supposed to reflect commercial reality but often contain leaps of faith. One common example is the wholesale
TAXWatch: Raising Taxes Means Decreasing Prices?
I’ve often heard the argument that taxes on Hawaii real property are too low. Because the taxes are low, the argument goes, prices are driven sky high, leading to economic
TAXWatch: Cashing In on Production Credits
In this space, I often have unflattering things to say about tax credits. Every year, legislators propose tax credits for some little-noticed niche in an industry. Sometimes the credit is
Weekends Safe Once Again, Maybe
Back in 2014, we wrote in this space about a nasty Honolulu City & County rule involving real property tax appeals. That rule said that if you as a property
TAXWatch: Wayfair – Playing Catch-Up
This week, we continue with our coverage of Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court case that held online sellers can be made to collect state sales taxes even if they don’t
TAXWatch: The Wayfair Switch in Time
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Wayfair v. South Dakota case. It was a huge turning point in constitutional law involving the ability of states to tax