Should Hawaii visitors and residents both pay an environmental fee? More questions are back on the table.
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143 thoughts on “Controversial $50 Hawaii Visitor Fee Plan Returns”
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Should Hawaii visitors and residents both pay an environmental fee? More questions are back on the table.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
As I pointed out on another BoH blog subject, the Interstate Commerce clause of the US Constitution prohibits any state from interfering with or or taxing citizens traveling between states. Jim E
The best way to kill tourism to Hawaii is a tax on arrival!!
Place on luxury tax on high end goods!
Hi Denise T, I like the way you think but you’re talking Hawaii where the Luxury Tax could apply to a Bag of Peanuts! Even if it shouldn’t all you need to do is wait a month or two and it will be. I mean what other State allows the sale of Cigarettes, Tobacco Products, even the Tobacco Alternatives but makes it Illegal to use any of it? Seriously, like many Tourists care about Stupid Laws! Chewing Gum will be next.
My husband and I visited The Big Island in 2019 and we had a positive experience. The local were polite because we were. However, it’s disheartening to read these messages. I wanted to vacation there again but I feel totally unwanted as a tourist. Tourist fee on top of high prices. No thank you. I work in Washington, DC, tourist capital of the country!
No problem, the flight to Tahiti is just a couple of hours longer and they seemed very happy to see us last time we visited there.
HVCB’s time and paradigm is over- it has run its course. So evident by their absolute disconnection. CNHA has people that are vested in the right future for tourism, not more white washed corporate attitudes. This fee is very appropriate.
My family have been going to Hawaii for 17 years. You are about to shut us out. It’s called gread !!!!
We are currently paying almost 20% in taxes already in Hawaii … and now they want more. What are they doing with the new increases? As long as this $50 didn’t go into the General Fund and did in fact, offset damage by tourism then I would welcome it. However, how can an economy that is based on tourism justify this … it seems like they don’t want us to come?
If a fee is approved, it should be charged daily to a visitor stays at a hotel/resort/B&B, etc. on the island. But how could a fee be charged to a visitor who stays with a friend or relative?
I guess Hawaii wants to make it so only the wealthy can visit the islands. Seems pretty discriminatory and anti-Aloha to me!
Where’s the equity? If this was florida would be all over the news.
If this was Florida you could have it
Hi Liam G, I realize that I am opening a can of worms and creating controversy so I shall answer your question quickly and get back to dumping the dead worms. Florida would have this on the news and it would make the papers and radio, Hawaii would avoid it. The difference is the Elected Officials and Political Climate of each of the States. In Hawaii the Elected aren’t feeling any pressure even though they don’t do a good job. In Florida it is quite different, even if you do a good job there are no guarantees of Office. Hawaii should come out of the dark ages and into the light, maybe things will be better.
Come out of the voting dark ages for sure. A new can of worms. Yes Hawaii govt people’s representatives do for the most part feel no pressure to do a good job of spending the people’s $, because of the eternal D.next to their name. If Hawaii could see first hand their $, safety, jobs and benefits being given to illegal
Immigrants flooding the islands
( 5,000 per month ) the avg 50 state share now, Hawaii would wake up to reality of responsible govt. and appropriating $ properly. Competition in parties is needed.
Reciprocity, $50/Head going to the Mainland!
There’s that ‘other’ Randy R again, point taken, just not mine!
I used to travel to Hawaii at this time of year for 10 days. I’d spend about $1500 a day on average. Last night I watched Elvis in blue Hawaii. It was awesome, now that was paradise. Unfortunately, that has gone and I’m not sure what this new “paradise” is. Seems just like a money grab. As politicians say never let a disaster go to waste. Seems fees and taxes are coming from everywhere. Hawaii received a boat laid of money from the fed. Where is it? How was it spent? And yet taxes and fees are being raised on tourists and locals. State employees all got raises though funny how that happens. Gotta keep the talent right?
If a fee will help keep Hawaii beautiful I’m in. My wife and I have traveled to Hawaii several times and love it. We spent a month there in Jan. And brought our family over. Everyone was impressed with the beauty of the islands.
We’re here on our 19th visit since 1996, aloha and mahalo for letting us visit. All us Americans are taking too long to figure out that there’s no free lunch in ecology just like in economics. We externalize costs and leave them just like our garbage for someone else to take care of at some other time and place. The influx of mainland capital I’ve observed here since about 2005 has brought with it a noticeable quantity of the free market idiocy of the mainland, which behaves as though deregulated markets were a sacred cow because of the unquestionable benefits they bring to all. They’re not, because they don’t. Business, government and society exist only to serve the poeple’s interests, and private profit is subordinate to those.
Aloha, I think there are better, more subtle ways to collect this “tax”. I sincerely question the legality of charging Americans to visit another state.
Oh yeah implement a visitor fee. Bbut meanwhile the prices on everything for local Kaimaina keeps going up from Gas, Electricity , DMV fees to the Rip OFF GET Tax on Food and even a Doctor’s Visit . AUWE on the Lawmakers who get Elected and do nothing but work to get Re Elected!
Who are these people we are just starting to get back to a some what normal state off mind and now you want to emplament a monatary law to make people pay more to visit and worse to charge people that live here come on dont be so greedy figue out something that will bring more visitors to the ilands not chase them away
Before you start, publish where the money will be spent. How do you plan on collecting the money, at the airport as people get off the plane or at the hotel?
Hawaii should be thankful for all the tourist tax they get already. They have the lowest property tax in the country. Rarely need heat or AC and insurance is the cheapest anywhere believe it or not. Overall it’s cheaper to own a home there than a lot of the places try Austin or California even places in Florida where your taxes and insurance can cost Moore than your mortgage. Your sales tax rate is one of the lowest around. My friend lives in Austin in a 750k home and pats almost 2k a month in taxes !!! You want things cleaned up how about kicking in on the property tax?
Hawaii is not an inexpensive place to live. There’s personnel income tax and most everything there is very pricey. The health care system is poor and pricey. However you are correct, at some point Hawaii will kill its golden cow.
Aloha
Correct but everywhere is expensive now. Everyone is having to kick in. I lived in Maui for 8 years and Oahu for 12. Phoenix used to be cheap but no more. Austin Florida also but they are now as much of not more on many cases. There was ample time for Hawaii to come up with other industries and future development during the pandemic and they did nothing. I watched a show called think tech Hawaii where all I heard was let’s raise the hotel fees to 40 percent. There was and is no plan. You need forward thinkers how can you not bring tech there? Data centers? Every major tech exec has a home there. I’m sure they would love to be part of a group to being that to Hawaii.
It has been my experience that these fees go less to actually remediating the issues and more to administrating the program. My rather cynical appraisal is that it is just an opportunity for government officals to employ family and friends. I am fairly certain that the garbage, abandoned cars, feral cats, and over harvesting of natural resources is not a tourist issue.
Becky – you are So right. And where’s the accountability for funds already collected via high taxes and individual Hawaii County surcharges?
My thoughts on Hawaii adding a visitor’s fee is really unfair. It takes away the visitor’s choice and raises the travel cost, much like the over charging of car rental prices, especially for large families where everyone cannot contribute in paying.
I personally know several people who say they would love to go to Hawaii but the car rental prices alone almost doubled their expenses and they still have the additional high gas tax to pay.
I just think adding more visitor cost and not helping with the force choice car rental fees will in the long run hurt tourism. It makes more sense to help with car rental prices and to break down the visitors fees and attach them to the things to do around Hawaii. Then it can add up to a choice.
Too many tourists. Islands would benefit greatly from a thorough, well thought out lottery. Lodging taxes are already through the roof, including ‘special’ island surcharge taxes that all tourists pay.
Where is the accountability for those funds already collected? Having the islands available only to the very wealthy is the path we’re on. An establishment of a steady and sustainable tourist population would go a long way to restore ecological sustainability. This makes it better for ALL.
As a 13 time visitor to the state of Hawaii,I oppose a state entry visitor fee. Though after our recent trip to Maui in April, it is unlikely we would return anyway. Hotels are tacking on huge resort fees and not actually offering anything to justify paying it, it’s just a way to make up for low occupancy during the past 2 1/2 years. Yes, COVID hit Hawaii hard, but it hit the rest of us hard too. You want visitors, I assume tourism is your big employer, stop charging visitors for problems you caused. We also found few restaurants to eat in, what’s a tourist to do for food? Sorry, no more.
Very bad idea to “tax” hawaii visitors 👎👎👎
Just another money grab ….
Going down a government
rabbit hole to ” Nowhere ” !
B. R.
Hello Rita D, we are quite agreeable with what you have said and are similar in your situation each year when we come to Hawaii. There does need to be an Exception to the fee for full time Residents that Travel, If that is what the fee is Exclusively about. If the Fee is about “Ecological” Conservation or Climate Related expenses the Residents should pay the Fee, or at least half, to cover an entire year. That money needs a Trustee to ensure proper spending and competitive bidding processes. It wouldn’t be released to anyone else for any other reason.
So I remember it was a right more than a privilege to travel to any of the 50 states and the government cannot block one from doing so or adding taxes/charges.
It won’t help anyone but the corrupt politicians like Californians voting to have taxes on freeways (not free anymore) and now charges to use the fast lane on the highways.
It’s like parking meters. It starts at 1 penny and now a quarter gets you 4-5 minutes in SF.
This tax will keep going up so what you will be doing is stopping regular people from visiting and creating a sanctuary where rich and middle class people go. The poor and working class will suffer another defeat at the hands of “do-gooders”
I went from 3 trips/year to none and it’s staying that way for now
If Hawaii receives $50 fee per visitor, they forego any and all US Federal $. No, FEMA, no catastrophic funding, no infrastructure funding…. Nothing. Hawaii is one of 50 states. They need to remember that. They seem to want their cake and eat it too. They were very close to becoming Japan.
I would do everything I possibly could to refuse to pay. I would be willing to go to jail to fight for my right to travel in the USA. If I had no choice because it was tacked on to hotel rooms I would do it. Then file my lawsuit no matter the cost or how long it took.
Thanks, but no thanks if I could go to Hawaii by personal transport. I think I will just stay in Florida and visit the state I live in without a fee. But I will ask my state to tax everyone that flys into Florida.
Sadly, over the head of many!
There is a large percentage of Hawaii population that has relocated to the Mainland but come back “home” frequently. I happen to be from Salt Lake and my family lives in all parts of Honolulu. How dumb to come home and having to pay a fee just to see my ohana and Hawaii Nei..smh
Hi, I have been here for 3 months, I’m not sure $50 will help solve this problem. I feel that the Island is way over populated and is on the edge of destruction. Tourism can be good, but my thought is there is to much for this island (Oahu). It is just to crowded, and I won’t come back nor would I advise anyone to come. I hope the future brings good things for the people that have lived and grown up here. God Bless you.
Hi Mark, seeing Oahu through your eye’s and comparing that to my vision has brought about some Realism. The Island is extremely congested with people in certain areas. As Evidence one only needs to witness H1, H2 and H3 at certain times of the day. The Congestion hopefully will subside considerably once the Rail is finished and operational, only time will tell. The Need for Affordable, or non, Housing shouldn’t intrude Agricultural Viable Land! Expansion outside of the population centers can be achieved if the Rail is completed. Bottom line, Change needs to happen to meet the demand for Affordable Housing!
The rail? Are you being sarcastic that thing has 6 years to go and ends no where. No one’s going to ride that. Rail is just a scam to fill union and politicians coffers.
We love Hawaii, lived on Oahu for 8 years, but due to the high cost of living, had to move to the mainland. Now we enjoy returning once a year as tourist. We spend plenty of money while visiting. Airfare, hotel, food,car rental, recreation fees, etc. If a $50 per person fee begins, we will no longer travel to Hawaii. Pretty sad that I can not enjoy a state in my own country!!! How greedy, Aloha forever for me.
Not for Hawaiian residents, as they pay their taxes for the islands of which they reside.
I agree wholeheartedly agree that visitors/tourists should pay.
If you can afford a vacation in Hawaii, you can afford a visitor fee, as long as it goes to preserving the islands.
Plus the “disrespectful” visitors are made to pay for what they have done to the islands for past, present and future visits.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing your beautiful islands with us!
What about the disrespectful residents? Let’s not act like everyone’s an angel. I lived there 20 years. Loved the islands. Most people there are from somewhere else. Very few actual locals there. So if people believe so strongly in this fee residents won’t have an issue then paying it when they go to different island correct?
Hi Chris, seems that some people are so used to seeing this junk that they eventually overlook it, unless they can use it to blame Tourists for it being there. How convenient isn’t it? Was it in their carry on luggage or did it come over inside the checked bag? Well, I am off to spread my good will and cheer. Hope you have a wonderful day. Happy 4th!
Hi Dave W, I’m taking a guess that the Politicians just aren’t that impressed and think that they can pull some more of the hard earned cash from your pockets. It’s not easy being them these days, used to be a time that people wouldn’t question things and simply pay up. Not so much anymore. There always seems to be someone asking questions, wondering where the money goes, but no one really gets answers. Your Contributions are accepted courteously, ever consider teleconferencing, there’s no Hawaiian Fees for that,Yet! Yes they do like You Almost as much as your money, Don’t force them to choose. Good luck in the future, probably be $125 sooner than not.
Definitely Tourists should pay a universal tourism fee. If travelers are planning to travel this is not a inconvenient fee to additionally plan for they are already planning to vacation stay. This fee would be collected specifically generating the necessary revenue to clean, maintain and repair the beaches,, and also the beautify the environmental waste that the tourists create while visiting. Most tourists do not know the sunscreen is toxic for the reef and sea life. Definitely not require locals to contribute to this revenue as they already know how to care for the ohana on the islands- they are the ones left with the messes the tourists leave. The locals should not be also penalized for the tourism of Hawaii.
Sorry Collee but it is not the tourists that dump refrigerators and other appliances in rural areas. Just recently there was a story about all the dumped tires in the ocean…leeching chemicals on the reef.
The short time I lived in Hawaii, I many times saw residents that did not have Mālama…especially when I was hiking.
Hi Collee, I am seeing the concerns more as a real challenge. Why hasn’t the State mandated the Sunscreen issue, regulating this surely falls upon Hawaii DEP. The Fee should be responsive to the issues and everyone share the burden. A 1 price yearly for residents would surely speed the response! Even if a Resident Discount of 50% is applied, you would know where the money is spent. A Private Trustee will ensure that! No Government Grab of it Ever! As for Tourists, they will help with the efforts by Contributions, $50 will either leave some elsewhere or new will come. They’re Needed!
I totally agree with this new fee. And if it occurs, hopefully all 50 states impose a similar fee. I’ll stay my butt in Washington and take my vacation dollars to Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas. Let’s do this!!!!
$50 eco system fee.
too many non residents on an island.
creates havoc with the culture, endangered species, of which vwe have the most) waste water from over extended sewer, cleaning of restrooms, lifeguards over extended on correcting tourists antics, roads, even toilet paper used.
environmental service fee.
only state surrounded by ocean,
not the continous 48.
1st, Contiguous not continuous. 2nd, if sewage is leaking look towards those Elected Officials that all of you Vote into office! Ultimately it’s Your Fault, not Tourists. Too many Tourists, keep hearing that but no minds when they have a secure job, do they?
Sewage is leaking because you wasted all the money on useless rail. All money for that and transportation and who knows what else has been diverted there. When i left there in 2012 the infrastructure and pipes were already broken and fallen apart but the rail was much cooler and would pad the unions and politicians pockets.
Me ruin this to Californians. They are the reason homelessness and grooming of children in school occurs. They voted and supported that including criminals not being charged and police being defunded leading to mass crime.
I think most states are like this so what can you do when Americans in general are living in a distorted reality.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trips to Hawaii….unfortunately, it has gotten too crazy and way too expensive. Nope….nope….nope… “They” can keep it. Lots of other beautiful places to visit. Sad.
Wow! I own a timeshare on Maui I pay taxes on it each year.I also pay room tax when I stay in my condo. I pay the highest car rental fees when I visit. Now you want to charge $50. To go to a condo I pay taxes and room tax on. How would you like to be charged a $50 tax to come to the mainland? If you don’t want tourists, this is a great start. I agree that some visitors abuse the privilege, but I am confident it is not the condo and timeshare owners.
If you want to buy back all the condos and timeshares, I am sure some of us would let you pay us!
I’m willing to buy if you sell for a good price keep me in the loop 🙏🏽
Sure as hell glad my visiting the Islands since the 60’s (most years, particularly Kauai) is over @ age 90. It’s not the same place with horrible traffic, rude tourists who molest the wildlife & have no respect for the people & the land. Good luck with the thundering hordes in the future. Sad to contemplate. So sorry for those of you who live there. Hopefully it will improve in the future. Much Aloha to you all. Will still read BOH online. Thks for the good times, guys as I step down from my soapbox!
Hi Mary.
Sorry you won’t be returning, but we look forward to hearing from you.
Aloha.
Hi Larry! The Room Tax is already set at 18.5% per night, coupled with all of the other Fee’s and Crazy Taxes in Hawaii to raise it more would be nuts. Charging Entrance Fee’s to the State Parks does make sense to offset costs and make additional money. Bottom line, though, is Why Can’t Hawaii, and the Individual Counties, afford to provide relief and help that’s needed to the people? It Sounds like Mismanagement to me. Voting the Correct People in to Every Office may result in Better Management and providing what is needed. Applying for matching Federal Money for Housing would be a great place to start. Other things too.
Hi Bob C, the Diverting to the General Fund is exactly what worries me about this, and any other money, to cover the General Budget. If the Budget is done Correctly then the Funding Sources should more than cover the Expenditures and hopefully leave a Surplus. If it must be Rescued then Questions Need To Be Answered. The Money is Intended to Provide for Viable Projects and Services that are Needed, not to be stolen due to Mismanagement! The People of Hawaii Deserve Better and that may mean Better, Committed, Leadership Voted in to Every Office. Breaking the patterns of behavior many times requires Solid Change.
Time to test the waters in the carribean. Why should I pay to go to Hawaii and spend my money? There were a lot of new fees the last time I was there already, now they want to charge me just to go!. Been going for 35 years. Time to quit.
Yep. Been going to Hawaii for years mostly to kaanapali beach hotel. I am done
Hawaii already has the highest tourist taxes in North and South America. If that isn’t enough revenue, then I’d suggest Hawaii has a spending problem, not a revenue deficiency.