Posted on 02/19/2024 1:21:30 PM PST by lowbridge
Lawmakers in Hawaii are poised to approve a $25 climate tax on tourists who visit the Aloha State in an effort to combat what they claim is an assault on the area’s natural resources.
The state, which saw 9.5 million people visit last year, is recovering from the devastating wildfires in Lahaina, Maui, which killed at least 100 people and caused damages worth around $6 billion.
The proposed tax will pay to protect beaches and prevent wildfires, state officials said.
“It’s a very small price to pay to preserve paradise,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, told The Wall Street Journal.
A tax by the nation’s 50th state would follow in the footsteps of other tourist hot spots including Greece; Venice, Italy; the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador; the Pacific island nation of Palau; Greece; and New Zealand — all of which have levied fees on tourist ranging from $1 to $100.
In 2022, Green campaigned on a platform of having all tourists pay a $50 fee to enter the state, but the proposal failed to gain the necessary votes in the state legislature.
“All I want to do, honestly, is to make travelers accountable and have the capacity to help pay for the impact that they have,” Green told AP last year.
“We get between nine and 10 million visitors a year, (but) we only have 1.4 million people living here. Those 10 million travelers should be helping us sustain our environment.”
Green told The Journal he anticipates that a $25 fee would raise $68 million annually for the state, which would then use the money to establish a state fire marshal as well as to help with disaster prevention.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Respectfully: There are a lot of other ‘very nice places’, all of them without Climate Taxes.
None of the funds will be used for Hawaii.
They will go directly to the DNC
Last time I was in Hawaii was 1987. It was a dump then...
Pretty much the same in 1987. . .last time I was there...
I took my family to the Big Island in 2014. Great trip.
When I was leaving, I complimented the island to the hotel clerk. She told me that if you want to make a lot of money, then Honolulu is the place to be. If you want to raise a family, the big Island is the place to be.
Precisely how will that money be spent?
Climate change is here have no doubt
Too much rain too much drought
Run in circles scream and shout
It’ll cook your brain and freeze your feet
Too much rain too much heat
Snow coming soon no relief in sight
Tornados and floods you better run for your life
Climate change is here better hide in fear.
They need more money or it gets severe
Too much rain too much drought
Run in circles scream and shout ™
I think we should close Hawaii to all commercial non-military air traffic to protect the climate, let tourists, if they insist on going, take a boat. Let’s see how they like that.
I pass through the airport fairly often going to and from SE Asia doubt anyone is going to boycott the place that wanted to go there anyway most will figure it’s just another tax and could care less...
That is kind of what I'm thinking as well.
“I’m not a lawyer but the interstate commerce act of 1887 or one of it’s amendments might not allow it.”
They can go to NY STATE, so maybe this wouldn’t be applicable. Just avoid the CITY.
$25 x 9.5 million visitors =
$236,500,000
-100,000,000 Hawaii Democrat slush fund.
- 50,000,000 Local and state judges' bribes.
- 18,500,000 Accounting error
$ 68,000,000 Useless government agencies kickbacks.
Looks about right to me.
Sorry. Wrong thread
Lol, nice…
Meh. Beaches on St. John are nicer anyway.
No offence taken. West Maui used to be nice. Fire finished Lahaina. Taxing a revenue source (tourists) will be counter productive. The bureaucrats will probably raise the tax before they figure it out if they ever do.
Ten Years After:
(paraphrase) Tax the rich. Feed the poor. ‘till there are no rich no more.
Get it from Oprah and the other billionaires.
no need to go...
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