HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0958.021 2016-2018 / I
Olcouncidcou: ..rY CLERK
-COUNTY OF HAWAII
From: Donald Rudnv Dill I G,
To: Council Testimony ca p A1, .(� 1010 JUN 1 8 P'� t: 56
Cc: Poindexter,Valerie; Poindexter,Valerie;Carter,Sunshine LAJ '�
Subject: GET Hearing
Date: Monday,June 18,2018 10:27:31 AM
Aloha,
I will not be able to give testimony in person on the County's GET proposal,so I am providing it in writing.
I recognize that the County is facing a shortfall in meeting its expenditures and the recent volcano disaster will only
make things worse. I have been doing some research on property tax assessments through your property tax search
site. I find that many properties,particularly those of higher value appear to be under assessed. Many have ag
exemptions that are questionable. One in particular is the zip line facility in Umauma. The property is 108 acres on
the beautiful Hamakua Coast and has a market value of$583k with a dedicated use value of$220k. Really? I
would think that property has a multi million dollar market value. The land is being used primarily as a commercial
use,so it should be classified as such and not receive any ag exemption. There are many more examples of misuse
of the ag exemption. If someone has a legitimate ag business,then there should be a State record for GET collection
to verify the business.
Another area of potential abuse is the homeowner exemption. I went on VRBO and randomly picked a property in
the Hilo area being offered as a vacation rental. I went to the tax record and found that it receives a$120k
homeowner exemption. I thought you had to live in the house to get the exemption.
My point on this is that before new taxes are considered,it would be wise to make sure the existing ones are fairly
applied. It is likely that most of the abuse is with properties owned by wealthier people. They have the resources
and knowledge to find loopholes and the means to use them to lower their tax. This shifts the tax burden to the
poorer property owners by raising property tax rates,fuel tax and now GET to fill the gap.
My understanding of the GET proposal now includes an amendment to limit the term to two years at which time it
would expire. This seems reasonable as a stop gap measure provided that there are significant changes made to the
property tax assessment system to ensure that properties are being assessed fairly and that exemptions are not being
abused. Creation of a special property class for vacation rentals should also be considered.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I have lived on the Big Island for over nine years now and am well
aware of the property tax situation. It is the County's main source of revenue and is fully under their control,so it is
critical to get it straightened out and fair to all property owners.
If you have any questions,I can be reached by email or the phone below.
Don Rudny
P.O.Box 106
Pepeekeo,HI 96783-0106
312-209-5870
Comm. No. 11N•21
Ref.To: P I council
Ref. Date JUN 1 8 2.018