Taxes and Spending
May 2011
$600 million in New Taxes
The desperate dance to balance the state budget was trickier than ever this legislative session. Far from providing innovative solutions, the Democratic led legislature had one answer to solve the $1.2 billion budget deficit: tax, tax, and tax some more, to the tune of $600 million. (more)
Taxes and Spending
April 2011
Legislators should cut spending instead of increasing tobacco taxes
Hawaii is facing a $1.3 billion state budget deficit — and in response, a series of bills have been introduced to hike taxes, including Other Tobacco Product taxes. Among the proposed legislation is House Bill 273, which would hike taxes on such products as cigars and smokeless tobacco. The state should avoid all tax increases and instead turn to spending cuts to balance its budget. (more)
Taxes and Spending
February 2011
Hawaii Needs Fiscal Notes
If your family is like mine, you're paying a little closer attention to price tags than you did a couple years ago. With high unemployment, stagnant wages, and the price of basic necessities continually rising, it only makes sense that we consider prices when shopping for everything from gasoline to groceries. (more)
Taxes and Spending
February 2011
Fiscal Notes Fact Sheet
Fiscal notes provide value for legislators and the public by forecasting revenue changes in proposed legislation. However, many times bills are introduced and voted on before the data on fiscal repercussions are made available to those voting on the bills. State officials can easily feign surprise at the state of the budget when it is obvious that the long-term budget forecasts have either been unseen or utterly disregarded. For more info, please click on the PDF below! (more)
Taxes and Spending
August 2010
Exposing Hawaii’s Special Funds: Excess Balances of $1.4 Billion Raid Hawaii’s Taxpayers
In the last three years, nearly all fifty states saw government budgets operating in the red as a result of the global economic crisis. The fallout of the meltdown gained considerable notoriety in Hawaii as the determination was made to compensate for the revenue shortfall in part by implementing a temporary furlough of Department of Education personnel. The Hawaii State Legislature, faced with mounting public opposition to “Furlough Fridays” and insufficient revenues to maintain current levels of spending, considered a variety of funding mechanisms, one of which included the use of raiding funds designated on state budget worksheets as “B” means of financing (MOFs), or “special funds,” as it was believed that a number of these accounts were either in excess of their operational requirements or funded mandates which had sunset. (more)
Taxes and Spending
October 2009
A Time for Transparency
Why Hawaii Needs a New Transparency Web Site ASAP
The Grassroot Institute believes it is past time for the state to allow those who pay the bills to see the checkbook. We call on all state and local government agencies to voluntarily make this information available to the public—now! (more)
Taxes and Spending
July 2009
House Lagging on Public Posting of Expenses
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the House Chief Administrative Officer earlier this year to post expenses of House members online as soon as possible. Yet, the deadline for doing so has passed (three months and counting). Presently, there is no plan in place for the Senate to follow suit. Part of the hold-up is coming from the Committee on House Administration, which claims that security and support issues are delaying publication of the expenses. (more)
Taxes and Spending
July 2009
Honolulu Spending On Contracts
It takes a lot of work to run a city. In addition to various programs, officials must maintain sidewalks and roads, traffic lights, security, among other services. The State Procurement Office (SPO), which serves as the central authority on procurement statues and rules for all government bodies of the state, is the central source on all matters of procurement policy. The website is regularly updated with awards, bids, vendors, proposals, and more. (more)
Taxes and Spending
July 2009
The Facts Behind the Tax
Raising taxes on the tourism industry has forced several hotels to absorb hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses because it is too late to change rates already quoted to booked guests. (Check out the Advertiser's "Impact of Raising Hotel Tax"). (more)
Blogs
The Mystery of Hawaiian History
Correcting historical revisionism and misconceptions promoted by the Akaka Bill.
Hawaii Spendometer
How Fast Does The State Government Spend Your Money?
$9,122,166,121.47
