Published in The Maui News, May 17, 2015 By Mike White, for The Maui News Prior to the state Legislature adjourning nearly two weeks ago, both the House and Senate passed House Bill 134, a measure that allows counties to enact or extend a general excise tax surcharge for transportation-related costs. The measure, heavily sought […]
Last week, I submitted several pieces of testimony to the state legislature on bills relating to the counties’ share of revenue from the transient accommodations tax, or TAT. In 2011, the counties’ share of the TAT was capped as a temporary measure to assist the state with a budget shortfall because of a 9.8 percent […]
Published in The Maui News, Jan. 18, 2015 By MIKE WHITE for, The Maui News The opening day of this year’s state legislative session is on Wednesday. As a former member of the state House of Representatives, I know how important the Legislature’s work is to the people of Maui County. Aside from working with our […]
Published in The Maui News, Nov. 2, 2014 By GLADYS C. BAISA , for The Maui News On Friday, the County Council will consider approving two state bills for inclusion in the 2015 Maui County Legislative Package, as recommended by the Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. The first bill would authorize expanded industrial hemp research […]
Published in The Maui News May 4, 2014 By GLADYS C. BAISA, for The Maui News The 2014 state legislative session ended last week, and we were once again reminded that success at the Capitol never comes easily. Just a few minutes before the deadline for agreement, a House-Senate conference committee announced passage of a […]
For Immediate Release: April 25, 2014 Press Release by: Gladys C. Baisa, Chair Maui County Council Legislators increase TAT cap by $10 million HONOLULU, Hawaii – A joint House-Senate conference committee passed House Bill 1671 moments before a 6 p.m. deadline, which will raise the cap of counties’ share of transient accommodations tax revenues from […]
For Immediate Release: April 4, 2014 Press release by: Councilmember Mike White Council urges state legislators to increase TAT revenue to counties WAILUKU, Hawaii – The Maui County Council today adopted Resolution 14-45, urging the state legislature to pass House Bill 1671 to increase transient accommodations tax revenue to the counties, Councilmember Mike White announced. […]
Published in The Maui News March 30, 2014 By MIKE WHITE The counties need a voice. Pending before the state Legislature is a measure to remove the dollar limitation on transient accommodations tax revenues and return the counties to the percentage share to which they were entitled for more than 20 years – no more […]
Councilmember White submitted written and oral testimony to the House Committee on Finance in support of House Bill 1671, House Draft 1, relating to Transient Accommodations Tax which was heard on Tuesday, February 25, 2014. This legislation removes the current cap on the transient accommodations tax revenues to be distributed to the counties and establishes […]
On Monday, February 3, 2014, the House Committee on Tourism will hear House Bill 1671. Introduced by Maui Representatives Souki, Carroll, Ing, McKelvey, Woodson and Yamashita, it proposes to remove the current cap on the transient accommodations tax (TAT) revenues (also known as the hotel room tax) that is distributed to all four counties. Councilmember […]
