The last time I reported on Hawaii, it had just been announced that the families of those who died in the Maui fire last year could receive up to $1.5 million in compensation if they choose not to sue state agencies and companies involved.
Arguably, this destruction of the town of Lahaina and the surrounding area is the first recorded “woke-caused disaster”. But instead of reconsidering the poor science and insidious social justice policies that created the conditions for this catastrophe, Hawaii is doubling down.
The state intends to hit tourists, who are a mainstay of its economy, with a $25 “Climate Tax.”
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.
The bill would impose a flat fee upon hotel check-in or vacation rentals, projecting it to raise about $68 million annually. Green is betting on collecting $68 million annually.
He may be counting his climate eggs before they hatch.
The bill, HB2406, is currently working its way through committee in the state’s legislature.Passage is not assured. Last year, a similar proposal to levy a $50 fee on tourists for access to state parks and beaches failed in the final hours of the legislative session.After that measure, known as a ‘visitor impact’ or ‘green’ fee, failed, the governor rebranded his new proposal as a ‘climate’ fee on tourists.Legislators are also considering an alternative measure to raise the state’s hotel tax, which is already among the highest in the nation.
Hawaii isn’t the first to consider a climate tax. Greece instituted a “climate resilience tax” for tourists that will fund disaster recovery projects in the country.
“The tax will finance post-disaster reconstruction projects following severe forest fires and floods which occurred in Greece in 2023,” the representative told TMR.”The tax is to be paid directly in the local currency to the accommodation services provider and before the customers’ departure. A separate receipt of payment of the tax will be issued to the name of one of the customers.”
Potential visitors seem unimpressed with the climate virtue signaling.
To put it in perspective, a 10-day trip to Hawaii in June 2023 for a family of four is quoted to cost $13,493. So $25 seems like chump change.
However, as more people become aware the climate crisis is simply an excuse to redistribute their hard-earned money to bureaucrats, the less likely they are to go to places that force them to pay a climate tithe.
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