Hawaii on the Brink of an Expensive and Potentially Unconstitutional “Visitor Tax”

Hawaii on the Brink of an Expensive and Potentially Unconstitutional “Visitor Tax”

A bill that would raise the cost of tourism by up to a jaw-dropping 75% currently hovers on Governor Josh Green’s desk, as he considers whether it’s worth it to cripple an industry representing 24% of Hawaii’s total GDP.    Among the $100 million in taxes introduced in the bill is an increase of the state’s Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), which does exactly what the name implies: taxing everything from hotels to timeshares. This increase to …