HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

4

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO PRESERVE THE COUNTIES' SHARE OF THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.

 

 

 


WHEREAS, the transient accommodations tax is a tax levied by the State on the proceeds derived from furnishing transient accommodations; and

 

WHEREAS, in the 1990 legislative session, the Hawaii State Legislature enacted Act 185 which gave the counties a share of the transient accommodations tax; and

 

WHEREAS, according to Conference Committee Report 207, the purpose of Act 185 was to provide a more equitable method of sharing state revenues with the counties rather than continuing with the system existing at the time whereby the counties requested financial assistance through grants in aid from the State; and

 

WHEREAS, the county share of the tax also provides more stability to county finances and enables improved budgeting and planning; and

 

WHEREAS, currently, 44.8 percent of the total transient accommodations tax collected by the State is distributed to the counties; of this amount, the revenue is allocated as follows:

 

Kauai County                 -     14.5 percent

Hawaii County                -     18.6 percent

City and County of Honolulu  -     44.1 percent

Maui County                  -    22.8 percent

                                 100.0 percent; and

 

WHEREAS, transient accommodations tax revenues account for a significant portion of the counties' general fund budgets; and

 

WHEREAS, maintaining the current allocation of the transient accommodations tax would allow the counties to continue providing essential government services to visitors and residents; and

 

WHEREAS, losing the current allocation of the transient accommodations tax would require counties to significantly raise property taxes; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, that the Governor and the Legislature are urged to preserve the counties' share of the transient accommodations tax; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the President of the Hawaii State Association of Counties, and the Mayors of the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui, and the City and County of Honolulu.

Report Title: 

Transient Accommodations Tax; HSAC Package