New Taxes, Tourism Funding Cuts Among Bills Pushed Through As Legislature Winds Down
House and Senate lawmakers gave preliminary approval Thursday to a measure that would allow the counties to levy their own tax of up to 3% on hotel rooms and vacation rental units, a move that one lawmaker said would “incentivize” the counties to crack down on illegal vacation rentals.
Lawmakers also tentatively agreed Thursday to a significant boost in the state conveyance tax that would be imposed on sales of the most expensive non-owner occupied homes in Hawaii.
Legislators are hurrying to wrap up negotiations this week on an array of bills in advance of the scheduled adjournment of this year’s session next week. They have until Friday night to finalize almost all of the bills that will pass this year.
The bill to allow the counties to levy their own hotel room tax is the latest chapter in a long struggle over the lucrative hotel room tax, officially known as the transient accommodations tax.
Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/04/new-taxes-tourism-funding-cuts-among-bills-pushed-through-as-legislature-winds-down/