HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0817.007 2008-2010Yoshimoto, J
R ( `'.f F.tJ
2010 JUN 7 PM 9
From: Dena Clouse [dena @rcgrealtors.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2010 4:26 AM
To: cohmayor @co.hawaii.hi.us; phoffmann @co.hawaii.hi.us; kgreenwell @co.hawaii2hi.us;
bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; genriques @co.hawaii.hi.us; enaeole @co.hawaii.hi.us; donishi @co.hawaii.hi.us;
jyoshimoto @co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda @co.hawaii.hi.us; dyagong @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Property Tax Increase
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
As faithful Hawaii vacationers for 35 years and non resident owners for nearly 10 years- Please hear us
out.
1. This non resident tax increase is taxation without representation since we can't
vote for the elected officials.
2. The county is killing the goose that is laying the golden egg for tourism in the
county. Non owner occupied homes provide construction, rental management,
property management, maintenance, cleaning, tourism and other local jobs.
3. The proposed property tax increase in the budget is /will harming vacation
rental properties and second homeowners who are currently struggling with
reduced property valuations, reduced rents and less tourists to occupy our
properties.
4. Hotel and Resort property taxes are being reduced because they employee local people,
however, those of us who rent our units also employee cleaners, property managers, and
rental managers and other service personnel. Fairness of valuations is an issue.
5. The GET tax has already been increased the last two years, making the cost of
traveling to Hawaii more expensive when evaluating vacation cost. This enormous
increased property tax burden further exacerbates costs for tourists and non
owner occupied homeowners.
6. Non owner occupied homes already pay nearly twice the property tax rate than residents
before this proposed increase. Property tax rates are already stiflingly high, before the 39%
increase in valuations.
7. This tax increase will undoubtedly increase foreclosures, short sales and
distressed property sales, which will reduce property values even further and put
more stress on HOA's to keep services up and keep local residents employed.
8. Individual owners are being hurt while corporations (hotels) are being favored.
9. The magnitude of this tax increase is causing harm to non owner occupied
individuals who already use less county services than full time residents.
10. One of the stated goals is to provide "stability for our local economy," however, with
more foreclosures leading to reduced property values and less vacation rentals,
this will affect the real estate market, tourism and eventually harm the job market
for local residents.
11. This information for the massive increase in proposed taxes for non owner occupied
homes was never shared with non - resident homeowners, probably by design. This tax
group currently pays 29% of the County's total property tax revenue.
12. The county government has not reduced permanent jobs like the private sector
has been forced to do. More should be done on the cost control side for the county
in order to live within its means, without resorting to massive tax increases for
non owner occupied homes.
Dena & Rich Clouse
L23 Waikoloa Beach Villas
614.939.1114
6/7/2010
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Ref. Date, ,g11 10 2010