Talking Tax
Broad Tax Relief And.. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. We discuss the signature bills in the Governor’s package, including a bill to give the citizenry broad income tax relief, another bill to enact GET exemptions for groceries and medicine, and a bill containing the ‘Visitor Green Fee.’ We go […]
Getting Temporary Tax Fixes (Talking Tax)
Not What Candidate Green Promised. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. We discuss the tax proposals taking shape at the Legislature, and the reaction of key legislators to the initiatives set forth by then-Candidate Josh Green on the campaign trail. Simply put, an exemption for food and medicine might not […]
Changes Needed for DHHL to Spend 600M (Talking Tax)
Legislative Bills Addressing Bottlenecks. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. Last year’s Legislature approved $600 million to our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to reduce the monstrous waiting list of Hawaiians waiting for homestead lands. The catch, however, is that DHHL needs to spend the money, or enter into […]
Fiscal Truth Goes Through Three Stages (Talking Tax)
Ridicule, Violent Opposition, Acceptance. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that all truth goes through three stages: 1st it is ridiculed; 2nd it is violently opposed; 3rd it is accepted as self-evident. This is what has been happening in our state government. At the […]
No Need for Building Permits on Repairs (Talking Tax)
A Historical Perspective. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. We focus on the City and County of Honolulu, where efforts are under way to deal with the highly backlogged state of affairs at our Department of Planning and Permitting. Apparently, one reason for the backlog is the sheer number of […]
The Empty Homes Tax (Talking Tax)
Cracking Down on Vacation Homes. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. One of the ideas that has been kicking around in the state and county legislatures for a couple of years now is the idea of an ʻempty homes tax.ʻ The idea seems to be gaining steam now, since our […]
State Financial Condition Still Dismal (Talking Tax)
‘F’ from Truth in Accounting.org. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. About one year ago, the nonprofit Truth in Accounting put out a report called ‘Financial State of the States 2021.’ That report compared published financial information from all of the states for fiscal year 2020, graded all of the […]
Love-Hate Relationship with P3 (Talking Tax)
Public-Private Partnerships. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. Our state has a love-hate relationship with public-private partnerships (P3). P3s are where public (government) interests and funds partner with private companies to cooperate and share risks and benefits. The most recent and visible example is our iconic Aloha Stadium. This turn-around […]
Road Usage Charge Versus Carbon Tax (Talking Tax)
Potholes Ahead for Drivers. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. Hawaii Department of Transportation has been studying implementation of a Road Usage Charge (RUC). Such a charge would be assessed to a driver based on how many miles they’ve driven on our highways and byways, and it’s (at least in […]
Addressing High Housing Prices (Talking Tax)
Debunking the Remote Buyer Myth. The hosts for this show are Jay Fidell and Tom Yamachika. The guests are Malia Hill and Jensen Ahokovi. Hawaii is renowned for high housing prices. Lawmakers have blamed them on wealthy out-of-state buyers with little more than anecdotal evidence. As a result, lawmakers have proposed punishing new taxes such […]