30 thoughts on “Hawaii Advises Against “Visitor-Only” Fees + May Be Illegal”
SALVADORE J
fees should be charged to help with the cost of maintaining the parks. residents may be paying for these parks through property taxes. if so, maybe they shouldn’t pay the fee also. tourists and residents that don’t pay for the parks through property taxes (if this is happening) should pay a fee. if residents don’t pay for the parks through property taxes, should pay the fee.
Should Hawaii residents have to pay $50/person when they visit another state? It would stand to reason, because every state needs money to protect their natural resources. Let’s be honest, any money Hawaii collects, will be spent on nothing that benefits the citizens. It will go into the pockets of the politicians, either directly or indirectly.
If the state wants to charge visitors and not locals, just require ID to park or access parks and attractions. give locals the kama’aina discount and non locals can pay a fee. problem solved.
Ok yes if that is what has to be paid most visitors are quite willing to pay, but the tourist are going elsewhere going to places they are made feel welcome……. when you come to Hawaii all they want is your money but not us now they want even more and not even in the top ten places to visit for this reason pull your socks up Hawaii
Only one way to find out: test it in the courts. Pass it into law and wait for the inevitable lawsuit. Let the judges decide.
Honestly, all of this uproar shows how outmoded reliance on tourism as the main source of State of Hawai income has become. We’re beating a long- dead horse. Time to reinvent ourselves and envision alternate local economies. Agriculture? Solar? Tech?
Hopefully the “Green” machine will not ignore this but considering how much he screwed up Hawaii during the scamdemic I’m sure that he’ll try something else to get around this recommendation.
I agree with NOT placing a fee on visitors. However one of the suggestions that I heard was raising the sales tax, which in Hawaii is really the GET, General Excise Tax. I favor doing that by a number of percentage points while Eliminting The Get On Unprepared Food. (Food that you buy at a supermarkets, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, Target etc.) Restauant prepared food would still be taxed by the higher GET tax, and that is the kind of food most tourists buy and buy more of than local people.
Sales tax increase to protect the island is good and keep in mind we visitors are charged and extra charge even when using our timeshares. It is something new to me, however over the years I have seen the many changes to oahu more than the other islands.
I am all for visitor fees. Anything that will help keep parks clean and open.
As a homeowner here on the Big Island who pays $17k per year in property taxes, why should I also have to pay fees. I am paying more than 99% of the rest of the people on the islands.
Why should only my tax dollars be spent when tourist use local facilities?
Many areas on the mainland charge for people out of a city limits recreational fees to use pools and gyms. Why should it be different here?
The issue of transparency is a whole different question.
If you are paying $17,000 in property taxes you can obviously afford any additional fees. With the real tax rate on residents being 0.28% and with a minimum of an $80,000 homeowners exemption, you have a property that is assessed at about $6 million.
Andy, are you going to be the arbitrator of who can and cannot afford the fee? How much his house is worth is not the point. It’s about equality of the tax in question.
fees should be charged to help with the cost of maintaining the parks. residents may be paying for these parks through property taxes. if so, maybe they shouldn’t pay the fee also. tourists and residents that don’t pay for the parks through property taxes (if this is happening) should pay a fee. if residents don’t pay for the parks through property taxes, should pay the fee.
Should Hawaii residents have to pay $50/person when they visit another state? It would stand to reason, because every state needs money to protect their natural resources. Let’s be honest, any money Hawaii collects, will be spent on nothing that benefits the citizens. It will go into the pockets of the politicians, either directly or indirectly.
If the state wants to charge visitors and not locals, just require ID to park or access parks and attractions. give locals the kama’aina discount and non locals can pay a fee. problem solved.
Ok yes if that is what has to be paid most visitors are quite willing to pay, but the tourist are going elsewhere going to places they are made feel welcome……. when you come to Hawaii all they want is your money but not us now they want even more and not even in the top ten places to visit for this reason pull your socks up Hawaii
Only one way to find out: test it in the courts. Pass it into law and wait for the inevitable lawsuit. Let the judges decide.
Honestly, all of this uproar shows how outmoded reliance on tourism as the main source of State of Hawai income has become. We’re beating a long- dead horse. Time to reinvent ourselves and envision alternate local economies. Agriculture? Solar? Tech?
Don’t kill the goose which lays golden eggs
Hopefully the “Green” machine will not ignore this but considering how much he screwed up Hawaii during the scamdemic I’m sure that he’ll try something else to get around this recommendation.
I agree with NOT placing a fee on visitors. However one of the suggestions that I heard was raising the sales tax, which in Hawaii is really the GET, General Excise Tax. I favor doing that by a number of percentage points while Eliminting The Get On Unprepared Food. (Food that you buy at a supermarkets, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, Target etc.) Restauant prepared food would still be taxed by the higher GET tax, and that is the kind of food most tourists buy and buy more of than local people.
Sales tax increase to protect the island is good and keep in mind we visitors are charged and extra charge even when using our timeshares. It is something new to me, however over the years I have seen the many changes to oahu more than the other islands.
As long as Hawaii is a state, it will be considered a state, like Indiana or Georgia.
Rude tourists are destroying every state.
I am all for visitor fees. Anything that will help keep parks clean and open.
As a homeowner here on the Big Island who pays $17k per year in property taxes, why should I also have to pay fees. I am paying more than 99% of the rest of the people on the islands.
Why should only my tax dollars be spent when tourist use local facilities?
Many areas on the mainland charge for people out of a city limits recreational fees to use pools and gyms. Why should it be different here?
The issue of transparency is a whole different question.
Mahalo, Gentleman
If you are paying $17,000 in property taxes you can obviously afford any additional fees. With the real tax rate on residents being 0.28% and with a minimum of an $80,000 homeowners exemption, you have a property that is assessed at about $6 million.
Andy, are you going to be the arbitrator of who can and cannot afford the fee? How much his house is worth is not the point. It’s about equality of the tax in question.