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 ...
Time to put an entrance tax on every Hawaiin resident entering the other 49.
“Climate change,” the epitome of the definition of “grift” . . .
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.
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.
Never should have been a state.
Time to stop paying federal assistance to HI for all of the non-working folks and ILLEGALS.
That’ll repeal this nonsense, quick.
There are a lot of alternatives to Hawaii, especially in the Caribbean.
Boycott Hawaiian tourism.
There are plenty of nice beaches on the Gulf of America as well.
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.
Thanks for posting.
Conventions ? Hmm they don’t want them anymore ?
Yes, but not for the purpose of “climate change”. That’s the novelty of this tax.
Tax is tax. It’s all just theft.
Here comes the flood of new NGO's all wanting their piece of the new pie.
LOL! It’s getting expensive for them to pay all their Feral “judges” telling the mainlanders how they should live.
Prove Climate Change is not a fraud Hawaii.
“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 ...
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