Review of tax equity issues needed
As a retired county manager, I read with interest the recent articles pertaining to the County Council’s consideration of a bill to terminate the nondedicated property tax exemption for agricultural lands. Recent articles indicated millions could be returned to the county if nonlegitimate exemptions were terminated.
If a recent evaluation of the more than 10,000 properties in question has not been conducted for their tax status legitimacy, how could the number of dollars to be saved have been determined in advance of the evaluation? The recent articles also implied that if the “cheaters” were not held accountable, then legitimate payers must foot the bill. Does this really mean that passage of this bill would result in a tax reduction for legitimate payers or would increased revenues go toward increased government spending? Perhaps some of these open-ended estimates and commitments should be clarified by the council before moving forward.
I want to believe that most agricultural exemptions being held by Hawaii’s long-term farm and ranch producers are legitimate. Maybe the old axiom is true that the real definition of waste in government is programs with constituencies that cannot politically defend themselves (farmers and ranchers).
Wouldn’t a more comprehensive review of all property tax equity issues be more fair and effective than simply targeting a small group of taxpayers from an isolated property tax group — most of whom likely contribute significantly to Hawaii’s need for self-sufficiency?
David Maertens
Waimea