Hawaii

These forward-thinking states are demonstrating the wide variety of options for policymakers who want to raise more from the wealthiest people, rein in corporate tax avoidance, create fair tax codes and build strong communities.  

HAWAII Read as PDF HAWAII STATE AND LOCAL TAXES Taxes as Share of Family Income Top 20% Income Group Lowest 20% Second 20% Middle 20% Fourth 20% Next 15% Next 4% Top 1% Income Range Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $36,000 $36,000 to $55,700 $55,700 to $95,100 $95,100 to $213,800 $213,800 to $457,100 over $457,100 […]

The $2 trillion 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes several provisions set to expire at the end of 2025. Now, GOP leaders have introduced a bill informally called “Tax Cuts 2.0” or “Tax Reform 2.0,” which would make the temporary provisions permanent. And they falsely claim that making these provisions permanent will benefit […]

The final tax bill that Republicans in Congress are poised to approve would provide most of its benefits to high-income households and foreign investors while raising taxes on many low- and middle-income Americans. The bill would go into effect in 2018 but the provisions directly affecting families and individuals would all expire after 2025, with […]

The House passed its “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” November 16th and the Senate passed its version December 2nd. Both bills would raise taxes on many low- and middle-income families in every state and provide the wealthiest Americans and foreign investors substantial tax cuts, while adding more than $1.4 trillion to the deficit over ten years. The graph below shows that both bills are skewed to the richest 1 percent of Hawaii residents.

The Senate tax bill released last week would raise taxes on some families while bestowing immense benefits on wealthy Americans and foreign investors. In Hawaii, 40 percent of the federal tax cuts would go to the richest 5 percent of residents, and 16 percent of households would face a tax increase, once the bill is fully implemented.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was introduced on November 2 in the House of Representatives, includes some provisions that raise taxes and some that cut taxes, so the net effect for any particular family’s federal tax bill depends on their situation. Some of the provisions that benefit the middle class — like lower tax rates, an increased standard deduction, and a $300 tax credit for each adult in a household — are designed to expire or become less generous over time. Some of the provisions that benefit the wealthy, such as the reduction and eventual repeal of the estate…

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Hawaii equally. The richest one percent of Hawaii residents would receive 59.8 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $470,500 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $39,750 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 3.5 percent.

A tiny fraction of the Hawaii population (0.3 percent) earns more than $1 million annually. But this elite group would receive 32.2 percent of the tax cuts that go to Hawaii residents under the tax proposals from the Trump administration. A much larger group, 46.6 percent of the state, earns less than $45,000, but would receive just 9.1 percent of the tax cuts.