07/08/2026
Looking at this chart is mind-numbing. Maui County has created the most complicated property tax system in Hawaiʻi, yet the very problems these policies were supposed to address continue to worsen. Housing remains unaffordable, infrastructure lags behind development, permitting takes years, and the cost of living continues to rise.
The Mayor and County Council are ultimately responsible for the tax policies they adopt. Taxpayers have every right to ask whether these policies are producing measurable results or simply creating a more complicated system that picks winners and losers.
They also have every right to ask who has the greatest influence over these decisions. Which industries, trade organizations, unions, developers, political action committees (PACs), and major campaign contributors supported these elected officials? How often did they meet with them? Were competing viewpoints given equal consideration? Were these decisions based on objective public policy or shaped by those with the greatest political access?
Transparency is not about accusing anyone of wrongdoing. It is about allowing the public to see who is influencing public policy and whether those policies are serving the public interest.
Government should not be in the business of creating increasingly complex tax systems that distort markets. It should create a fair, transparent, and predictable environment where homeowners, businesses, investors, and renters all have confidence that the rules are applied equally.
