HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-30 Letter to Luke, Cullen re SB 1290 HD1 - Relating to Transient Accommodations Tax - TAT (2)
March 30, 2017
Dear Chair Luke, Vice Chair Cullen, and Members of the Committee on Finance:
RE: Comments on SB1290, HD1 Relating to the Transient Accommodations Tax.
The Hawaii Council of Mayors (HCOM) urges the restoration of the provisions from
SB1290 SD2 that increases the allocation of transient accommodations tax (TAT) revenues to
the counties to a minimum of $108,000,000 to be shared at the current split.
According to the Auditor's State-County Functions Working Group December 2015
Report, the counties spent approximately $236 million on visitor-related expenses and this
number continues to grow. The visitor industry is particularly important for Kauai and Maui
counties, where on any given day, one in four persons is a visitor, but all the counties spend
significant amounts on visitor-related expenses. The $93,000,000 constitutes less than forty
percent of the counties' total visitor-related expenditures.
HCOM urges you to recognize the counties' efforts toward ensuring that Hawaii remains
a world-class visitor destination by increasing the counties' share of the TAT to a minimum
$108,000,000 or removing the cap. Thank you for your consideration of this testimony.
Sincerely,
Harry Kim, Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Mayor
County of Hawaii City and County of Honolulu
Bernard Carvalho, Jr., Mayor Alan Arakawa, Mayor
County of Kauai County of Maui
Mayor William Kenoi Mayor Kirk Caldwell Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. Mayor Alan Arakawa
County of Hawaii City and County of Honolulu County of Kauai County of Maui
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