This controversial bill appears to be discriminatory against legal Hawaii vacation rentals. Read all the details.
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125 thoughts on “Hawaii Vacation Rental Tax Total Of 33% Proposed ”
This controversial bill appears to be discriminatory against legal Hawaii vacation rentals. Read all the details.
For all the tourists who are threatening not to ever visit again, that’s the point ! Hawaiians are sick of overtourism and the damage it causes to our islands. There will still be plenty of visitors coming and the state gets extra revenue for local programs.
And if you are an owner complaining about lost income, especially if you live on the mainland, how about you tell us about how many $100,000’s your unit has appreciated in value because visitor numbers are at a record !!!
We got your point, thanks. Loud and clear. We will not be back.
Yes, Ainakea, thanks for representing the point of view of the islands so eloquently. Our visitors will stop coming, and we can be left to damage our islands, have wild parties in our neighborhoods, trash our streets and the beaches, have drag races on our roads, and drive drunk down our highways, all on our own.
Just don’t come to the council meetings complaining about lack of revenue and the tripling of your taxes. You had your chance, but chose lack of aloha instead.
It seems that so many people have all of the answers. Have you considered Why there is an explosion of new construction occurring across the counties? Why all of the Timeshares are being built? I’m Certain that you all have been living under the delusion that tourism will be reduced permanently, so then why do you need more hotel rooms and timeshares?
Ainakea R do you actually realize what it must be like to have a wonderful home which you rent out certain times of the year? I doubt that you do. Imagine being limited by restrictions on how long you Must rent the property And how many times per year. Your rental no longer appeals to most tourists so you lose income, plenty of it. You pay Much Higher property taxes and must pay license fees. Average people couldn’t afford to rent/lease the property and lowering the price isn’t possible. That’s what has and is happening. You have no idea what you are talking about, sincerely.
This proposed legislation is illegal at best. What is worse is the legislators wasting time and taxpayer money proposing these type bills that clearly violate the State and countries constitution. Strongly suggest voting for individuals that have kindergarten level understanding of the law. Tax money can be more wisely spent.
Have to agree with you, legislators, in general, seem to love wasting time and money on legislation that has no chance of passing.
Sincere question: how would this be a constitutional violation?
The position of the Hawaii Tax Foundation is that “This Bill violates the United States Constitution as well as the Hawaii State Constitution. It disenfranchises a certain category of taxpayer from those that are similarly situated. It is discriminatory in that it does not treat all providers of transient accommodations the same.”
We throughly enjoyed staying at a vrbo home rather than a hotel. It allowed four different households to be in the same place and not bother anyone with our time schedule. It also allowed us to mingle with the locals rather than being in high tourist spots every day. We paid about the same if not slightly more to stay at the house in Keaau. And it allowed us to use the small businesses like local grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and restaurants every day. We would like to come back and visit these beautiful islands and have the same situation that we had rather than give money to greedy cooperations with hotels taking up beach real estate.
Ok, well Hawaii, just be clear. I’m fine to find somewhere else. For years now I’ve really enjoyed the ability to rent a condo for 3-4 weeks a year and immerse into your lovely islands. If I have become a burden and you need to add 30% lodging tax on top of the car rental taxes etc, ok I get it. Sorry, hotel stays are not an option for me, not into that, and no way I am going to buy into a time share, so Yes such a tax prices me out of Hawaii, but I get it. Sorry the price and taxes now are excessive, go higher… sorry its over I will miss you.
Aloha
It’s not that they need to have all these fees, they have plenty of money already. Maui budget this year is 1 billion dollars, for 150,000 residents, with visitors paying the vast majority of it.
The fees are being raised because money talks. It’s the only thing the government can think of to keep you away.
With a budget of One Billion Dollars, basically all Tourism Funded, Maui should want for Nothing. Reasonable Housing should be plentiful and the Hawaii Homeless on Maui should be fully and properly Housed. With the Unbelievably Large Remainder of Money every problem and project should be completed fully. After that, each year the minor upkeep needed should be minimal and Budgetary Reserves immense. What is difficult about this? That’s just a blueprint for success, instead watch what happens.
That is such a sincere Good Bye, I too understand where you’re coming from and probably where you will be going to. Maybe one day we will cross paths never knowing it! When getting a “loan” from a loan “Specialist” so to speak (think great white) is less costly than a night’s accommodation in Hawaii, you know that something is Smelling Sour in the 50th State. Good Luck in your new vacation ventures, compared to Hawaii you’ll be able to afford several!
Glad I have stopped going to Hawaii. This once beautiful place now does not welcome visitors. Attitude is so poor and with money grabbing everywhere. I now go to San Diego. Beautiful, welcoming palm trees and much cheaper flights.
I’m a Native Californian and I like San Diego but it will never compare to Hawaii in my humble opinion.
Well. I guess you politicians would rather our islands be rid of all tourism so us locals can go back to grass huts and coconuts. Tourism is our lively hood. It’s not the tourist fault that the state and counties mis use what funds are collected to improve infrastructure. We have lived with consistent droughts, one way in and out of Lahaina. No alternative routes to avoid major accidents. One hospital
I could go on. Born and raised here. And our islands are an embarrassment. The greed is incredible and for what?! No wonder locals moving to Vegas, Arizona, Texas. What..no other solution?!
Exactly, I have been going to Maui since 2008 and in all that time I have yet to see where my text dollars have gone, the roads still suck, they flood often and have big potholes, I think that all the taxes going to the politicians pockets because they sure aren’t fixing anything
Hotels were built to house tourists. Give the neighborhoods back to the people who live and work here. Disgusting to buy a second home so u can get visitors to spend 5000 a week. There is no homes for residents. Glad u get the tax rate up, should just ban the vacation rentals in residential areas. Minimum 90 day rentals with rent control is next step. You come to visit just to force workers to do two or three jobs to afford insane prices of limited rental possibilities. Don’t expect any kindness in return.
@Kittey… So you think if All the STR stopped and were put on the market for sale the locals could afford them?
Came here to ask the same. The problem is obviously no new affordable housing being built, but of course it’s much easier and more satisfying to blame luxury condo and homeowners than our own government. Great job; let’s keep voting them in!
This bill reads like it was created by the hotel industry and is incredibly naive. It will make the vacation zone condos less competitive with the homes in non-vacation zone areas (which are exactly the properties people want to rent long-term), resulting in the opposite effect the authors are intending. It is unlikely that any of these vacation zone condos will become long-term housing for residents. It is more likely that they will sit empty and places like Kona will lose a lot of sales tax and tourist revenue since there are so few hotels.
There are better ways to address the issue of housing costs.
Yes, in fact, the recent quadrupling of taxes on condo owners here that could potentially rent out their units short-term, has forced them to start renting out short-term when they never have before just to pay the taxes! More units for more visitors! Unintended consequences sometimes bring us the opposite of what we want, and we deserve it!
I am so sorry to hear this. I have b een visiting since the 70’s. Very respectable and honored the land and its people. Last year, was a Maui mecca and although tourists were unintelligent about how they were raised (some)….many were not, but the the posts on social media have spooked me right off the islands. They are threatening and bullies and should be stopped, but now they will be happy as their island shrinks. I shall not return as this triple increase on rentals is out of my wallet. What a shame, it was my and always has been my dream to enjoy my golden years on this beautiful island. I do cry. Izzy makes me cry and he is crying in the heavens.
Keep it up Hawaii, you will eventually kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Tourism is your industry. We have been coming here for over twenty years and this is our last. Prices are getting out of hand and the spirit of aloha is being replaced by greed and disrespect for visitors.
Thanks but no thanks, we’re done