STAND. COM. REP. NO.  25

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1448

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Tourism, to which was referred H.B. No. 1448 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to assist the tourism industry by managing two special funds that are funded by transient accommodations tax revenues.  Specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Deletes language establishing a Tourism Special Fund expenditure relating to expanded visa programs that is set to expire on June 30, 2015; and

 

     (2)  Clarifies the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii Tourism Authority's expenditure authority over Transient Accommodations Tax revenue allocated to the Special Land and Development Fund.

 

     The Hawaii Tourism Authority supported this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of the Auditor, and Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to promote further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1448, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1448, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water & Land.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Chair