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Hawaii just passed the first climate tax in U.S. history. Tourists will foot the bill. $100M a year. Here’s what lawmakers aren’t saying out loud.
Citizen Watch Report ^ | Alex

Posted on 06/16/2025 7:34:10 AM PDT by davikkm

The ink is dry. Hawaii has officially become the first state in the nation to impose a climate tax. It’s called the Green Fee. The name sounds harmless. The impact is anything but.

Senate Bill 1396 is now law. It tacks on a 0.75% increase to the Transient Accommodations Tax. That means every hotel stay, every short-term rental, every cruise ship docking in the islands will now carry a new surcharge. The state expects this to rake in $100 million annually.

This isn’t a symbolic gesture. It’s a full-scale revenue engine. The money will be funneled into climate resilience projects. Think wildfire prevention, coral reef restoration, flood mitigation, and invasive species removal. The state says it’s about protecting the land. But the math tells a different story.

(Excerpt) Read more at citizenwatchreport.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: climate; climatetax; fraud; greenfee; hawaii; ripoff; scam; tax; taxes
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1 posted on 06/16/2025 7:34:10 AM PDT by davikkm
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To: davikkm

Time to put an entrance tax on every Hawaiin resident entering the other 49.


2 posted on 06/16/2025 7:38:27 AM PDT by Palio di Siena (Kralik…..you get the wallet)
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To: davikkm

“Climate change,” the epitome of the definition of “grift” . . .


3 posted on 06/16/2025 7:38:39 AM PDT by MCSETots
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To: pookie18

4 posted on 06/16/2025 7:40:09 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: davikkm

Another leftist grift operation. They know Americans of all backgrounds love traveling to HI ... or, I should say LOVED trraveling there (past tense) ...

From your link...the rest of the article ...

Hawaii’s tourism industry pulled in over $19 billion last year. That’s the lifeblood of the state’s economy. Now, lawmakers are tapping that stream to bankroll environmental programs. The fee kicks in January 1, 2026.

The burden won’t fall on locals. That’s the pitch. Governor Josh Green made it clear. “We can’t just tax the local people anymore,” he said. So the tourists will pay. But make no mistake. When the cost of visiting rises, the ripple hits everyone.

Cruise ships, long exempt from the TAT, are now in the crosshairs. For the first time, they’ll be taxed under this new law. That’s not a tweak. That’s a structural shift.

The Climate Advisory Team, formed after the Maui wildfires, pushed this through. Their recommendation was simple. Use the tourism tax to fund climate defense. The legislature agreed. The bill passed. The governor signed.

Supporters say it’s a model for other states. A blueprint for climate funding without touching residents’ wallets. But the implications stretch further. Hawaii is setting a precedent. A state-level climate tax, aimed squarely at visitors, now exists.

This is not a drill. It’s a test case. If it works, others will follow. If it falters, the backlash will be swift.

The money will be distributed through grants. Local nonprofits and agencies will apply. The legislature will decide who gets what. That’s a lot of power. That’s a lot of money.

The timing is no accident. After the fires, after the floods, after the headlines, the political will was there. The Green Fee is the result.

Whether this becomes a national trend or a cautionary tale depends on what happens next. For now, Hawaii has drawn the line. Tourists will pay to protect paradise.


5 posted on 06/16/2025 7:40:23 AM PDT by Jane Long (Jesus is Lord!)
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To: davikkm
Mark the date. Because if a government can levy taxes based on nothing, they can levy taxes on anything.

They've taken this first significant step to just coming out and saying, "We're taking money for whatever we want. Period."

This isn't taxation, it's outright fraud.

6 posted on 06/16/2025 7:40:30 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: davikkm

Never should have been a state.


7 posted on 06/16/2025 7:40:44 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Palio di Siena

Time to stop paying federal assistance to HI for all of the non-working folks and ILLEGALS.

That’ll repeal this nonsense, quick.


8 posted on 06/16/2025 7:41:32 AM PDT by Jane Long (Jesus is Lord!)
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To: Jane Long

There are a lot of alternatives to Hawaii, especially in the Caribbean.


9 posted on 06/16/2025 7:41:51 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: davikkm

Boycott Hawaiian tourism.


10 posted on 06/16/2025 7:41:55 AM PDT by Socon-Econ (adi)
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To: dfwgator

There are plenty of nice beaches on the Gulf of America as well.


11 posted on 06/16/2025 7:44:31 AM PDT by kosciusko51
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To: davikkm

Hawaii is not alone in this.

I can’t remember if its Wyoming or Montana or Idaho, but one of those states has a special property tax on seasonal residents.


12 posted on 06/16/2025 7:45:47 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
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To: davikkm; All

Thanks for posting.


13 posted on 06/16/2025 7:47:03 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: davikkm

Conventions ? Hmm they don’t want them anymore ?


14 posted on 06/16/2025 7:47:51 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: MeanWestTexan

Yes, but not for the purpose of “climate change”. That’s the novelty of this tax.


15 posted on 06/16/2025 7:47:54 AM PDT by kosciusko51
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To: kosciusko51

Tax is tax. It’s all just theft.


16 posted on 06/16/2025 7:49:19 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
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To: davikkm
The money will be distributed through grants. Local nonprofits and agencies will apply. The legislature will decide who gets what.

Here comes the flood of new NGO's all wanting their piece of the new pie.

17 posted on 06/16/2025 7:50:05 AM PDT by econjack
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To: davikkm

LOL! It’s getting expensive for them to pay all their Feral “judges” telling the mainlanders how they should live.


18 posted on 06/16/2025 7:51:47 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Correction! America is a nation of LEGAL IMMIGRANTS! All of mine came here legally. No free stuff.)
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To: davikkm

Prove Climate Change is not a fraud Hawaii.


19 posted on 06/16/2025 7:52:31 AM PDT by bray (It's not racist to be racist against races the DNC hates.)
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To: Jane Long

“Tourists will pay to protect paradise.”

Hawaii is anything but a paradise, esp. for tourists: the entire state is built from top to bottom to fleece tourists at every step, and the Polynesian natives live in poverty and are EXTREMELY unfriendly, downright hostile, actually ...

Hawaii is pretty on the surface, but scratch down about an inch, and in most places you’ll hit volcanic bedrock: for the most part, the flora is essentially just a thing covering ...

prices for everything are of course sky high because EVERYTHING (except seafood and tropical fruit) is imported by ship, including all energy fuel ... and then there are literal HOARDS of teaming Japanese tourists everywhere ... nothing particularly wrong with them, other than they’re very pushy and there are so many of them jammed in everywhere ...


20 posted on 06/16/2025 7:52:59 AM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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