More people are leaving Hawaii, making it difficult to fill jobs in Hawaii tourism. We all feel it, and it is getting worse.
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More people are leaving Hawaii, making it difficult to fill jobs in Hawaii tourism. We all feel it, and it is getting worse.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
The vocation and living cost are the same. There is no kamaina cost for the kamaina and there are other entities that absorb the kamaina funds. The pay for living here is outrageous and yet the locals find a way. It’s so expensive that families are forced to live together, it is not a choice. Wages compared to living cost staggeringly show that it’s almost impossible to make ends meet. Most apartments do not include water or electric, also food is quite expensive. Lucky you will see anything under 3,200 in living costs. Instead of feeding the pockets of the rich, we should feed the mouths of the people. Farms and wild life preservation should be at the forefront of the community, that’s the main tourist attractions. Pcc.
Aloha – Hawaii’s housing problems sound very similar to those of California. If our government would restrict corporations and foreign nationals from purchasing land and homes in the U.S., it would go a long in increasing supply and keeping prices reasonable. Doesn’t anyone wonder who actually owns all those homes in Hawaii, if it isn’t the residents?
Do you really mean corporations? Because only about 1% of homes in the US are owned by corporations. Now, if you look at it from the perspective of investors (like hedge funds, etc) vs individuals who actually live in these homes, then it’s a bit of a different story. But even there, it’s only in the neighborhood of 25%. That doesn’t sound like much, but in a lot of cases it’s the investors that are driving up the prices, thus having an impact in the market that reaches beyond their 25% share. In Hawaii the problem is even worse. When you factor in things like AirBNB, etc. the market is dominated by investors making it difficult for individual home buyers.
Hawai’i only has so much land. Simply put- You think rents are too high? Look no further than the tourist fueled air bnb industry. Hawai’i is already too crowded. Want to solve the high rent crisis? Get rid of the short term rental business.
But keep in mind that the increase in short term rentals is a symptom of the ever increasing number of tourist problem. I think there’s no simple solution to this overall problems in Hawaii. It’s a multi-faceted beast that is rooted in the fact that Hawaii is so dependent on tourism. Up to now, Hawaii has been playing whakc-a-mole. Unless a multi-faceted program gets put into place that include deemisizing tourism nothing will change.
That is not the answer. Our moron govt has already robbed people of that source of income here on Oahu. The hotel lobbyists won. Now you have the govt working Against you telling you what to do with your own property. They are only for big business.
Really? If the short term rental business does not exist, who would still go to Hawaii? They are contributing to the tourist industry and making Hawaii still attractive to tourists especially those with limited budget and family in tow. Do you think you can afford to rent one of those units if they’re shut down in order to make them available to renters like you? Consider that even on the mainland rents have soared ridiculously high everywhere–but for a lot of people that’s still the feasible solution than buying a home which is near to impossible unless you have a really thick and fat bank account. The government should focus more on housing than building more hotels in overcrowded Honolulu to favor the lobbyists rather than people in nee
STRs are most definitely a major cause of our housing issues on Maui. Buildings that housed local residents 10 years ago have now switched to STRs, local residents are left without places to live. The condos in those buildings increased in value because short term rentals were allowed. The same goes for neighborhoods where there are very little limits on short term rentals. The values have increased more than neighborhoods that do not allow short term rentals. There are far too many short term properties and far too many visitors on Maui each and every day, for what can be handled. The individuals that work are leaving and being replaced by the wealthy, retired, and part timers. It’s not worth it to work and live here anymore.
This, exactly. The tourists complain that they want the air bnb because it keeps their costs contained, then they complain about places going wanting for help. If there is no where affordable to live, and wages high enough to live and support families on, who do they think will be catering to their needs when they visit? It sure will not be the owners of the rental condos and houses serving them at restaurants, tourist sites, etc. People need to consider the impact on the residents of the places they visit, and not strictly their “rights” and “wants.”
100% agreed. So many tourists have little substantial allegiance to the places that they visit. They show up for a few days there, spend their money and then leave. The social problems of their vacation destinations don’t concern them. Witness how many comments here angrily proclaim that they’re “done with Hawaii” and “will be spending my $ elsewhere,” usually a Third World country with a massive lower class earning poverty wages. The sense of entitlement is breathtaking. “The locals should welcome us with open arms, but they don’t appreciate us! We’re outta’ here!” It’s a subtle form of cultural and class exploitation, with the main beneficiaries being the corporations. Hawaii needs to transition away from tourism ASAP.
You must be aware of the fact that people can spend their hard earned savings anywhere, regardless as to whether or not they are providing for the welfare of the indigenous population, right? Please, transition away from tourism and see how long your coveted social programs continue. Your willingness to kill the goose that keeps laying the golden eggs you take for granted will certainly degrade your quality of life.
Or perhaps without the constant barrage of tourists, quality of life will improve and make it worthwhile to live here in the land of high costs again, as demonstrated by improved quality of ocean reefs, aquatic life, and much less traffic when the pandemic was in force. But then the entitled complained our governor would not let them come, and when they could return once again, complained that our state required tests and masks, laws made to keep the resident population healthy.
I kinda doubt it. Hawaii had two years during the pandemic where this was the case…and it had the greatest exodus of residents since ever! The lack of tourist money almost bankrupted Hawaii and it’s residents. To this day, the cost of living in Hawaii increased twice as much as the cost of living on the main land! The lack of tourists in Hawaii hurt Hawaii deeper than it knows. It’s going to take years to recover from that.
According to DBEDT, your reasoning is not correct. It is a multi-faceted issue that started before the pandemic and is about jobs and money and the well-educated youth leaving. the study found that almost 15% of Hawaii-born people living on the mainland are between the ages of 18 and 44 and have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 7.7% of those remaining in Hawaii. Another finding: in sheer numbers, there are more Hawaii-born people with a bachelor’s degree or higher living on the mainland than there are who stayed in the state.
What would it take to improve the quality of life? not the quality of the environment or oceans or air but your life? If the tourists were gone, what would happen to that “quality of life” if all the tourist related jobs, meager pay as it may be, disappeared. Then what?
All? I did not call for all tourism to be gone. It does need to be greatly reduced, period. And if all the non-residents cannot own property here. And if all the people who live elsewhere would stop thinking they have the solution to problems for a place they do not live, instead they mainly take advantage of it, and complain about its politics, policies, and prices.
Building more affordable housing is the more humane and appropriate solution to the housing crisis than building more hotels which have been approved in the already congested Honolulu area. Homeowners must also be allowed to rent part of their property in order to be able to pay off their horrendous mortgage, instead of killing those rental property owners through unfair laws and outrageous fines to make way for the hotel owners to have the sole monopoly of providing accommodations for tourists.
Wages in Hawaii is too low to be able to afford anything, much less housing, which is why locals are leaving heading to more affordable states with better pay
This will be the last year we will be traveling to Hawaii. The price of everything is sky high and locals and the gov’t blaming tourists for everything leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There are many places in the world that welcome us with open arms that are much cheaper than Hawaii. I agree that the Hawaiian gov’t has been focussing solely on tourism to keep it’s economy going strong and they should diversify, they just took the easy route and now that times are tough are really nickel and diming the tourists. We work very hard and save for years for a chance to come to Hawaii but won’t visit where we’re not welcome.
Thanks for the comments. Rethinking going to Hawaii now. Not interested in visiting a place that doesn’t want company. Sad, but there are many other places to visit. Too bad, we had this on our to do list for over a decade but I guess it’s not meant to be.
Hey so us locals get hammered with all that too. It sucks for everyone so I feel you on this. I’m not native Hawaiian (from Boston) but I have been raising my kids here for 7 years. We love it here but there is so much apathy by locals about this issue. The phrase “that’s the cost for living in paradise” gets thrown around a lot and they actually believe it. It’s sad how much people absorb here. But then to turn on the people who visit is just not ok.
I’m sad to say my wife and I have left Hawaii 2022. She is a born and raised local girl which I meet in 1983 & we have been married for 35 years and have 3 grown children. We finally decided we had anough of the high cost of living.
Bought a home in Florida twice the size and half the cost for a similar place.
Miss Hawaii terribly and will visit often 🤙Aloha
In regard to housing – Zoning, Permitting problems and Taxes are a major issue. Those are controlled by elected government officials and their appointed bureaucracy. Don’t expect any decrease in housing costs until those are addressed.
Taxes and lodging rental costs are a detriment for visitors and their $$. It just seems HI has so many problems that need to be addressed. Love to visit, have been doing so for nearly 30 years, predominantly in Kauai, and we will continue to come (late 70’s and mid 80’s age) as long as capable. We hope and pray things improve for all residents and visitors.
Gary
It doesn’t help when the locals are rude to the tourists. Tourists are needed but alot of the locals don’t want them there and let it need known.
That’s a Way oversimplification of the problem not to mention an exaggeration. I wouldn’t call it “a lot of locals”, but I will agree it’s growing. It’s also not helpful when tourists act entitled and rude to the locals.
Bad experiences abound on both sides. My mother’s family has been here for more than a few generations and my father is from the mainland. I make a living off the tourist industry & I’d take the hit & see it downsize, *not* because of the tourists but because of those who abuse these islands wholesale for profit off of this industry. I think there’s room for tourism but not at the expense of the place it exploits. I’m most interested in moving forward rather than personal poo flinging, blame games. There are crummy people everywhere (just as there are good people) so is this really the time/place?
I’m not sure what the solution is but I for one would like to hear more of those ideas. Mahalo!
It seems that Hawaii property taxes are quite low compared to Texas and other states. Does that mean housing prices are only high because of the demand or greed? What is the Governor doing about it?
Hawaii housing has always cost more in Hawaii than on the mainland. It’s an island in the middle of the pacific with a limited amount of space and it’s very popular. Thus, high demand, low supply. standard capitalism is at play. Now, when you add a huge number of “budget” tourist to the mix, you get a lot of the housing in Hawaii being converted to sort term rental property. This also drives up the price as “investors” from off-island come in an start buying up property. This then reduces the amount available to locals driving up the price of long term rentals.
Abolishing the Jones act would go a long ways to help residents afford to live here.
This, this, a million times this! The Jones Act must go ASAP!
For those who don’t know what the Jones Act is. The 1920 Jones Act requires that all cargo transported between U.S. ports be on ships that are U.S. flagged, built and mostly owned and crewed by Americans. Since most of the cargo vessels that operate the seas between Hawaii and the mainland US are foreign owned/flagged/crewed they can’t be used to directly ship goods to Hawaii, this driving up the cost of shipping.
As I understand it, Hawaii ties up so much land in reserves of one kind or another that there isn’t even that much land available to build housing on. We joke that in Hawaii, every third tree is considered a sacred site and untouchable.
Hawaiians don’t vote. They have the power of the vote which tourists don’t. Vote da bums out!
I vote, don’t say Hawaiians don’t vote because we absolutely do even if we know we are outnumbered 10-1. Friend, our county and state don’t care about us we are the minor here. Kauai’s mayor Kawakami shows us that everyday….and no this second time around I did not fall for it.
This article is spot on. The effect of the current bills being proposed in the State legislature will only make things worse for residents and cause more people to leave. It seems that the ones benefiting from more AirBNB restrictions will be the resorts who will have less competition. The increased red tape and cost that’s proposed to rent a portion of your house is going to have the result of people not being willing to take on renters. This will result in an even worse housing situation than is currently happening. It will cause even more homelessness with the working residents of Hawaii. More people will move away. It seems opposite of what is needed if the government really wanted to provide housing. Why aren’t people protesting this?
As an owner of businesses in an expensive resort tourist area I have handled high housing costs for years. Only solution is to become an unintended landlord. Provide mass housing on a farmland etc. I know it’s harder than it sounds but where there is a Will there is a way.
I think it more than just salaried workers (said in your first paragraph) hourly workers too. The service industry seems to be struggling the most due to lack of servers, cooks, etc.
Also Airplane, Helecoptor mechanics
I have been looking to buy on the Big Island for a few years. A few years to long. If look at condos built in 2006 in Waikoloa you will see sold for say a million dollars. Then went through recession and still sold for $500k in 2016 and now in 2022 after covid bump they are back to a million plus. So if you buy right now will it drop again or go up? Don’t want to take the risk like the “evil investors” then won’t get the reward or not. Only 2 things certain are death and taxes so blame taxes.
We need trade schools, HVAC, Plumbing, Auto & Diesel Truck mechanics, Transmission, Truck driver schools Welding, Carpentry, Cabinet marker school, Metal fabrication, etc
These are higher paying jobs that kids need to earn a good living and stay here.
Yes!
Bingo! As a former teacher who did post-grad work in “Transitions” I can say Most Public schools are 100% failing in “real life Job skills training” …remember when schools had “Auto-shop; Home Ec/Foods/Sewing; Wood/Carpentry Shops” that can teach real skills that can lead to Real Jobs that are desperately needed…Schools, community colleges & universities are failing students by teaching things that lead to nothing. I highly recommend Trade Schools to all Students of all levels…forget the useless stuff and focus on real skills that will lead to real jobs with good wages. Now, if Hawaii can find a way to ease the regulation burdens that builders face (I am from California & know it is next to impossible to build) then maybe…
@Tim H nailed it
Ever since I can recall, 1995-ish, perhaps before, leaders spoke about attracting tech and support centers to the islands. But they poured the money into the cash cow of tourism that supports them and starves the people, just as the robber barons who stole the land did.
It’s been a single shell game since the overthrow, with the only difference being what industry is under the shell. Add the entitled tourists who don’t think us paying for the infrastructure that supports them far better than it does island residents, and the fact that once the land is gone and the water is gone, there is no more…and the recipe for disaster has been in the books for at least 50 years. It’s long past time to say “enough.”
Supply is a serious housing problem in this state. The wealthy will continue to buy, live, and visit Hawaii. If the residents can’t make it they will bring in migrants and provide housing. The biggest issue is the government always making a mess of things. Special interests say can’t build here, can’t build there. Let them build cheap basic living quarters. But no.. the Aina, the culture, environment. It’s okay if they leave. They are taking steps to a better life.
Ya should see my pool home in FL on .25 acre witha. Golf course membership…$400k. Keep telling yourselves it’s a nationwide problem. It’s a State oly problem.
SEAN… Disagree – it’s happening everywhere! My home was worth $250,000 two years ago now it’s worth about $400K. 1/10 acre and no pool!
Very much agree! I don’t think there’s any suck thing as a starter home any longer.
I live in Florida now. Are you located in a super redneck backwater? Or you bought at $400k a while back. Even undesirable locations here have gone through the roof pricewise….
If ya call a golf course community just south of Tampa on thenglf coast redeck then I guess so..
In th end it doesn’t matter. Keep overpaying for housing with no yard…. ya’ll do you! Off to my boat tomorrow. Enjoy your tax dollars at work.
In the middle of the last century, tourism was the Hawaiian goose (the Nene?) that laid (lei’ed?) the golden egg. Today, tourism, is killing Hawaii. By allowing the tourist dollar to be the only significant source of revenue, Hawaii has painted itself into a corner. Show me a country that is primarily funded by tourism and I will show you a country with a minuscule middle class whose citizens mostly live in poverty (Google it – easy to find).
Unless Hawaiians elect leaders committed not only to natural resource conservation but also to economic diversification, the Hawaiian economy and social fabric is doomed to fail spectacularly.
Having made 7 vacation trips to Maui, and enjoying each one more than the previous one, it is definitely depressing to me to read of the exodus of people there because of rising costs . Each trip I made , of course I experienced higher prices for everything but I considered the scenic beauty of the island “ worth it “ . Not anymore though . I’ll gladly pay for what I get but to pay the exorbitant prices there now… no way . Let the Chinese buy all the property there and offer low prices on everything to Chinese tourists . The way they are buying huge amounts of American farmland right now it shouldn’t take too long .
It’s happening all over the country. There is legislature in the books now that will force the sale of the family home when mom or pop passes on because taxes compel the liquidation. Most of the working people will be forced to live in affordable housing which looks like apartment blocks. They are calling it “stack and pack”.
Estate tax exemption is $12 million. You’re assets would have to be above this amount to owe any taxes when you die. Flawed opinions based on misinformation or lack of information is dangerous.
Don’t overlook property tax. Where children were once able to assume tax basis of parents is no longer so simple. There is inheritance tax and death tax, and income tax that will be due on the estate as well. If the estate does not have enough cash to pay the taxes and debts, there will be liquidation of assets.
You are right, no one should be seeking financial advice here.
One of the big issues is the pathetic wages paid to workers by the tourism industry, which reaps big profits while crushing their employees’ ability to survive in the Islands.
Military housing allowance is one thing that renters go for at high prices. I remember growing up when rent was $500 a month without military housing allowance. But that was like 40years ago.
I was one of the people who was on military housing allowance in Mililani in 1990. I think it was about $450-550. I started with one housemate, ended up with three before I transferred to Germany. Rent went up everytime we added someone to the lease.
I always leave my condo as clean or cleaner than I found it and would not mind washing and drying and folding the sheets and towels if I didn’t have to pay the cleaning fee. If most of us did that you wouldn’t need as many cleaners.
I like how you made this about you
Welcome to our society now. We are more concerned with rights and privileges than we are with obligations and responsibilities.
But those are jobs you’d be taking away.
Canada just made it illegal for non-Canadian citizens to buy property.
If the US would pass a similar law and go the step further to outlaw corporate home buying, prices would fall to reasonable levels.
Without housing young people are unable to marry and start families, this is a crisis, that will destroy the US.
Yes, Canada has banned most foreigners from buying Canadian homes. But the ban will expire in 24 months. It’s not a permanent ban. Just fyi.
Exactly! I lived in California and Every home sold in my OC neighborhood was sold to a foreign national…Chinese & Korean Money…almost all paid 100% Cash ! My nephew works for a home developer and they are selling their homes to corporations who are renting them out to the peasants, uh everyday middle-class people. The “Plan” by both is to out-price the Middle Class and turn them into “life-long renters”..think PottersVille from “Its a Wonderful Life” movie happening right before your eyes! ps..my own OC home sold for all cash & I found out they rented it …ugh!!!…pss…this is happening nationwide 🙁
A local friend wanted to buy a house she knew would be on the market as the elderly family was moving out to live with relatives. At the time, the couple was asking $350,000. When my friend was in a position to buy, that couple doubled the price to $700,000. While on the island last week, Twice I heard locals say their landlord had doubled their rent. Greed is universal I guess!
Greed is what drives the capitalist system. I’ll bet even money that that house that the older couple sold ended up being bought by an investor that’s now put it on AirBNB.
“Investors”(read: enormous corporations) are buying up absolutely everything and anything built on the Mainland before people even have a chance to do anything. Literally choking the middle class out of having housing. If they rent 5 units at 400% of value, they make more than renting 8 units at 100% of value. Vacancy is cool. Homelessness is collateral damage. (And spare me the “market sets the value”….just…don’t.)
They can only sell the house for what someone is willing to pay. Seriously doubt they doubled the price unless you are talking years later
DON… This was within a year not “years later”.
Probably the real estate agent told them they could get ‘double’, and of course He/She would also get ‘double.’ Real estate agents, with those big smiles and pro photog pictures, pledging they will get you ‘top dollar’ for your property, want just that. Bigger sell, more profit for them. Agents aren’t in the business to be your friend. “Sell” pays, “Friend” doesn’t.
DENNIS… There was no real estate agent involved. This was person-to-person. But yes, obviously somewhere along the line they felt it was the “right” thing to do!
Barbara, your friends are not victims of greed. They intended to take advantage of an old couple, until their children were made aware of what was going on. It’s not a new story. Were the “old couple” able to sell the house at $700,000? Please finish the story.
One persons Greed is another persons motivator. Greed is what makes everyone wake up in the morning to go to work and compels the ambitious to provide society with material comfort.
I’m not motivated by greed at all. I hate it. In fact your comment provides a glimpse into some things…..
Sounds the the Greed is Good speech from Wall Street.
It’s not greed to sell at market price. Then you have to move and buy another house at market price. Who buys and then sells below market price? No one on purpose.
I think it also has to do with taxes. And it is upside down that a loss in population parallels and increase in rent. Supply/demand theory would indicate the opposite. Very odd.
It’s not the taxes, it’s the increasing cost of living being driven by the constant increase in tourism. For example, houses and condos are being bought up like crazy to use for Airbnb by investors, most of whom live off island. It used to be that the big resorts were where most visitors stayed, and those were what was driving up the cost of property, but now it’s also “private homes” and condos to the point that “locals” don’t have anyplace they can afford to live on the meager salaries that tourism pays.
It’s definitely the taxes. Everyone has to pay …owners get soaked and landlords pass the cost on to their tenants. There’s no escaping the wrath of the tax and spend running the state.
Hawaii state and sales taxes are low, not high. Only tourists get soaked via some of the highest lodging taxes in the US. Per the Tax Foundation:
Hawaii Tax Rates, Collections, and Burdens
Hawaii has a 4.00 percent state sales tax rate, a 0.50 percent max local sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 4.44 percent. Hawaii’s tax system ranks 41st overall on our 2022 State Business Tax Climate Index
Did you intentionally exclude the excessively high property taxes levied on every home in the state? This form of confiscation adds up to 5 figures a year for an average home.
Let’s be clear. The state of Hawaii has the lowest property tax rate in the nation at 0.27%. Despite this, the median annual tax payment in the state is $1,971, which is much higher. This is because Hawaii has the highest median home value in the U.S. at $772,500. BTW, this is for people who actually live in their homes.
Well Paul L, like you implied, “ only tourists get soaked “ . Whether that’s true or not… just remember without tourists likely all Hawaii islands would dry up and blow away . Sure, transportation, food, lodging costs always go up- no mystery there. But when tourists get to feeling Hawaii is a gigantic ripoff… they stop coming . Personally, I’ve been to Maui seven times. But no more , I’m done. Let other people blow their money on the outrageous prices there .
Nothing new here except the numbers themselves. Might have commented on here before but def did spend time in the islands with the starry sky as my ceiling…..amazing and also bad memories. And the info contained in this post most likely carries good and bad as well.
Same applied to health care workers leaving the islands
This is what happens when the people in power think the only way to solve major problems is by taxing people to death, throwing more money at a horribly broken system and destroying what could be a very lucrative agricultural environment and turning it in to one that is sustained solely by tourism. The state seems to be well on it’s way to a place of no return. Once the locals leave for the mainland for jobs that will allow them to afford to pay their rent and feed their families, few if any will return there to live. And, with all the fees being proposed on visitors, those locals may not even be able to return to visit family and friends. Elections have consequences….destroying the islands they love so much is one they didn’t consider.
Hard to create more housing when, except on one island, you aren’t creating any more land. And while I haven’t been to Kauai in decades (the late 80s), my last trip to Oahu showed they were running out quickly, and Maui’s central valley was getting impinged on as well.
Does HI have ‘government’ housing? With all those (new) fees and high tax rates, where does the money go? No one seems to be able to pin that down. Why??? One possible solution could be government financed housing. The gov’t would pay to have multi-level apartment housing built, hire a manager to oversee them, and set the rents to pay for their operation. The government doesn’t need to ‘make a handsome profit’, it would just need to pay for the cost of operation with a little set aside for future maintenance. Rents would be aimed at low income residents. Source financing could start with eliminating the HI visitors bureau, a superfluous, bloated org.
Have you ever witnessed the effects of govt subsidized (section 8) housing? It’s a nightmare of neglect, mismanagement, crime, drugs and every other horror you can envision when people are housed at taxpayer expense and don’t appreciate or take care of their property. However, if your goal is to lower property values it’ll do that for sure.
Nothing ran by the government is cheaper. Think DMV and USPS. The government doesn’t have money just your taxes. If you risked millions of your dollars to build apartments would you want a return on investment?
This is another example of the death spiral that having Tourism as the only large industry in Hawaii creates. Until there are other sources of income/jobs things will continue to deteriorate.
What other source of income is possible in Hawaii?
It seems to me that the solution to this issue, if there is one, is to consider priorities. The number one, in my opinion, is the consideration for the native population and kama’aina. Tourism, although an important consideration because it provides the means for resident support, is important, but secondary. No one who lives in Hawaii wants to see the population and concentration of housing to increase to the point that traffic and management of infrastructure becomes impossible, which is the unfortunate destination we have already reached. That leaves only one possibility and that is to reduce the incoming numbers and control the ownership of land by non residents. Laws may have to be adjusted to make that possible.
Last time we were in Maui we had a lady that drove taxi bring us from the airPort to our hotel. She has lived there all her life. Just when she was ready to retire, her property tax went up sky high. She told us her and her husband are both working three jobs just to make ends meet. She said they were living very comfortable lives before and now they don’t think that they will ever be able to stop working just so they can eat and live. She said they were thinking about leaving Maui. Such a sad story for an older person.
Yes, this is very sad, and shouldn’t be. But I own a time share on Maui, it’s all I can afford because the housing is so expensive. What puzzles me is, as a time share owner, I pay taxes (for over 20+ years) that are higher than the hotels! At least I ‘own’ a piece of HI. I’ll pay the taxes, but the high profit hotels need to pay more. But, as we all know, businesses contribute to election campaign war chests, so the legislature doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds them.
People living in the house the own get homeowners exemption in Hawaii which greatly reduces property taxes. There is also a maximum cap on re-assessments. On top of that, Hawaii has the lowest property taxes in the USA. So the drive you speak of may be telling you a hard luck story so that you would feel sorry and tip her more. Misinformation is a dangerous things. Spreading misinformation is even more so.
I seriously doubt this is a “mis/dis information.” The cost of everything here is sky high…housing is beyond ridiculous, groceries, etc. People have been working multiple jobs and living multi-generationally in homes here for a reason, and it is not what you are spreading here. Your speculation is misinformation.
It’s always so remarkable that people who do not live here seem to think they know how to fix everything that ails the islands.
Islands are the first places to show the problems with overpopulation. With a fixed (ok, relatively fixed pending eruptions) land base there are only so many places to live. You need food and water; can’t live in the middle of a farm or watershed. Unless Hawaii wants ti import everything, there are limits. Continental araes will run into these too, it will just take longer.