Today Green confirmed plans for reducing Hawaii vacation rentals, and increasing visitor fees.
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192 thoughts on “Governor Confirms Maui Rental Moratorium, New $25 Tourist Fee, + Increase In Accommodation Tax Possible”
Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel News » Governor Confirms Maui Rental Moratorium, New $25 Tourist Fee, + Increase In Accommodation Tax Possible
I’ve been seeing locals on Lahaona commenting that they still have to pay on mortgages om properties totally destroyed and insurance adjusters are not allowed to assess properties so that claims can be paid. Sounds like a catch 22 for residents of Lahaina.
Return land to locals. Not sure how that happens. There are lots of us in other resort towns that would like the same thing but it’s not feasible in a free market -sounds like politics
And what about all the locals that had to leave due to not being able to afford purchasing a house?
Maui has the same issues as most high end communities but are amplified because Maui is an island. So many issues to a very complex problem. HI’s government caused/allowed the problem and I have no faith that they will be the solution. We love Maui but feel HI’s mismanagement is ruining the island for everyone.
One factor preventing long term rental is the moratorium on eviction.
Since there is no construction of new homes in sight, it is unlikely for the long term tenants to find a permanent home at the end of their two year lease, hence the eviction moratorium is a major threat
Hawaii will have a 2 tiered society??
No Gov. Green, the question is will we have a 2 tiered Govt. One that believes in private property rights or an authoritarian government that does not. And that’s up to You Gov. Green. We’re watching.
I, along with many are tired of the partial reveal of what the govenor wants…Its like a game. Say the plan not the thoughts running through your head
Finish up the fine print and tell us what is happening. Sell back to locals? What does that mean?
I called and left a message for the governor after reading yesterdays Beat of Hawaii. Voice mail of course. I emailed them a few weeks back and got a nothing type reply, as in Nothing of substance to my question.
Owners won’t participate if we don’t have all the facts and so far I hear lots of “ideas” but nothing I would step up to and commit to since the Governor has not been very clear in what he is saying. How can any owner make such a big decision on bits and pieces of a plan?
Yeah the Gov went to med school not b-school. Of course str’s charge 4x more than a local could pay, they have to because owners paid 4x more for the property and subsequently have to pay for a higher mortgage, taxes and hoa fees. If the Gov wants this to happen he should speaking to banks to lower mortgage payments to strs to meet the economics for the lower rent revenue. After years of collecting the highest tax rates for str occupancy, affordable housing was never addressed with the money collected. It’s not that simple.
Green and his enablers in the legislature are pushing the problem to anywhere but themselves. Why? Because they can. They have no plan for this $68M, just labels. Just grab the money from those who don’t vote and we’ll figure out later how to squander it. Consider that it’s the same “leadership” that put on display for the whole world the unbelievable void of competence in preparing for and dealing with the Maui tragedy.
It is a shame that Hawaii doesn’t want visitors anymore. They will still have them but they will only be the wealthiest low percentage. In the meantime, ì always enjoyed my budget-minded visits to Ohau (can’t afford accommodations on any of the other islands), taking public transportation and walking all over the city. I don’t feel wanted and welcomed anymore in Hawaii that message is loud and clear. Fortunately there are choices. Many of them.
The $15 per hour parking fees in downtown Kona, plus tax, near the food market is ridiculous. Over $23 Cdn for 15 minutes parking scares us away from vacationing on the big Island any longer. The parking software is hard to use unless you have a cellular phone with a data plan.
I visited Hawaii as a child, and have been trying to get back ever since. But I don’t want to stress people who have been displaced. I don’t want to contribute to the problems of locals, and I don’t want to be seen as partying when others are trying to recover. I am fully on board with visitor taxes. If one can afford to visit Hawaii, another 50 bucks or so is not going to break the bank. I was all set to visit this winter, but I have decided to wait a year. Perhaps Hawaii needs to increase the minimum wage, or subsidies housing. The locals deserve to be able to afford their homeland. Perhaps rental property owners should be required to make a percentage of their properties long-term rentals?
The Governor wants to see an increase in tourist revenue at the same time he wants to increase fees which are already too high and driving tourists.
He wants to get rid of short term rentals but there are not enough hotel rooms to make up the difference nor can most people afford hotel rooms as they are the most expensive in the USA. So you will get less visitors coming and less economic activity.
You can’t have it both ways Governor. Either you go after short term rentals and kill the economy or maintain the short term rentals and at least people have jobs. Figure out the housing problem a different way. Going after short term rentals is a simple solution and probably plays well for re-election but does not solve the problem.
Owning 20 short term rentals on Maui should be a crime.
I will never go back!
The Most Ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Greene is trying to Kill Tourism in Hawaii which feeds and employs Most of Hawaii Residents. From cleaners to maintenance and the list goes on.
Tax and more tax governor
According to Hawaii Public Radio, there are anywhere from 21,000 to 45,000 illegals in Hawaii.
How many are taking up housing and jobs from legal citizens of the USA living on Maui whom lost their homes and jobs from the fires?
I was in Maui October of 2023 and was listening to public radio. They advertised money grants for illegal non
USA citizens from the fires.
Obviously, Maui is putting illegal non citizens first infront of their own state residents. And now charging legal tourists $25 to come to their states.
What is going on there?
Sadly that is happening all over the US, not just Hawaii. In some cities they are asking legal residences to take them into their own homes. Voting is not an option this year
I’ve enjoyed my visits to Hawaii over the past 35 years, but with the present political climate there, I’m done. The Caribbean and Mexico are much more accommodating and welcoming not to mention a lot less expensive. Good luck and you will need it with your present leaders in the State.
Why are they not forcing hotels to give up 10% of the rooms?
No kitchens and the hotels don’t want to continue providing food for the displaced despite being compensated for it.
If you are transplant, native of Hawaii resident take a long look in the mirror. Stop blaming the tourist!!! You voted in these so called leaders, and look what they have done for you so far. Like the line in the Field of Dreams ” build it and they will come”. Well they built the resorts and the tourists came. The resorts could have been built without state and local permits. Love that Zippys built a restaurant in Vegas. Maybe they see the writing on the wall and expanded to the mainland. 🙂
Why not use hotels for the Maui fire displaced residents ?
Because hotels employ thousands and are great for the economy. Short term rentals do not and suffocate the economy. No one can afford to live here anymore. The hotels have to charge crazy prices because they have to pay their employees crazy wages to afford their crazy rents. Meanwhile all of this wealth is being transfered elsewhere.
The reason there is a shortage of houses on Maui is because the county employees who are involved in issuing new building permits have been trained by people further up the chain of command to deny, obfuscate, complicate and refuse to assist anyone and everyone with the means to attempt the process of building or remodeling. Add to that the fact that even with an irrigation system that delivered more fresh water per day to the sugar cane fields than new York city consumes, the people in charge at the county have pretended for more than 20 years that Maui has a water shortage. And because of the alleged water shortage have refused to issue new water meters to meet the demand. It’s all lies.