Hawaii legislators have adopted an unprecedented bill that increases the hotel tax of this US state to finance efforts to combat climate change, said the governor’s office.
“This legislation, which I intend to sign, is the first of its kind” in the United States, said Hawaii governor, Josh Green, in a statement published Friday by his office.
This law increases the short -term accommodation tax by 0.75%, such as hotels and rentals. “This measure is crucial because it will help us face the risks of fire exacerbated by the climatic crisis,” said Josh Green, remembering the “devastation” known by the island of Maui, devastated in 2023 by a fire that had left more than 100 dead and caused billions of dollars of damage.
“APROMBER THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE”
The State, which thanks around 10 million visitors per year, currently requires a 10.25% residence permit in holiday stays and other rentals. Hawaii counties apply an additional 3% tax, which will bring, with the new increase, the total tax rate at 14% to the state level.
According to the governor’s office, this increase should raise around $ 100 million a year for disaster preventive measures. The tax is presented as a “climatic grooming” or “green tax” and that “will help the islands to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Source: BFM TV
