Blogs
UHERO Study Finds That PV Systems Have a Positive Rate of Return of 14% For Households, But Could Cost the State Up To $1.4B in Residential Tax Credits
Solar photovoltaic (PV) tax credits are at the center of a public debate in Hawai’i. In their policy brief “Tax Credit Incentives for Residential Solar Photovoltaic in Hawai’i” UHERO’s Makena Coffman, Carl Bonham, Sherilyn Wee and Germaine Salim find that the typical residential solar PV investment has an internal rate of return of 9% even without […]
Read MoreQ & A Summary: The Impact of Marriage Equality on Hawai′i’s Economy and Government
The legislature is currently proposing bills to extend the legal definition of marriage to include same sex couples, and, and to grant those couples the same rights and benefits of marriage that opposite sex couples currently receive. Sumner La Croix and Lauren Gabriel’s paper, “The Impact of Marriage Equality on Hawai’i’s Economy and Government” examines the potential […]
Read MoreFinancing Watershed Conservation without Shrinking the Economy
In his recent State-of-the-State address, Governor Abercrombie urged lawmakers to consider either an increase in the conveyance tax on high-priced real estate transactions or a 10-cent fee for single-use plastic checkout bags to finance his watershed protection initiative, “The Rain Follows the Forest,” The proposed taxes, however, have a downside. While they are expected to […]
Read MoreRecord Breaking 2012 Visitor Arrivals Aided by Growth from East Asia and Oceania
The Hawaii Tourism Authority recently released preliminary figures for December marking the first time we have complete data for 2012, a year that was already shaping up to be a strong year for the visitor industry. In fact, it was record breaking. More than 7.8 million visitors arrived by air in 2012, up 9.2% from […]
Read MoreBreaking Down The Tesoro Refinery Closure – Part 3
Earlier this month, after a year-long unsuccessful effort to sell the facility, Tesoro announced they were shutting down their refinery while continuing to offer it for sale. The question on everyone’s mind—what does this mean for Hawai‘i? This 3-part series by UHERO Graduate Assistants Iman Nasseri and Sherilyn Wee attempts to answer those questions. Part […]
Read MoreBreaking Down The Tesoro Refinery Closure – Part 2
Earlier this month, after a year-long unsuccessful effort to sell the facility, Tesoro announced they were shutting down their refinery while continuing to offer it for sale. The question on everyone’s mind—what does this mean for Hawai‘i? This 3-part series by UHERO Graduate Assistants Iman Nasseri and Sherilyn Wee attempts to answer those questions. Part […]
Read MoreBreaking Down The Tesoro Refinery Closure – Part 1
Earlier this month, after a year-long unsuccessful effort to sell the facility, Tesoro announced they were shutting down their refinery while continuing to offer it for sale. The question on everyone’s mind—what does this mean for Hawai‘i? This 3-part series by UHERO Graduate Assistants Iman Nasseri and Sherilyn Wee attempts to answer those questions. Part […]
Read MoreThe Price of Paradise Revisited
In his State of the State address to the Hawaii Legislature on January 22, 2013, Governor Abercrombie proposed raising the hourly minimum wage in Hawaii from $7.25 to $8.50, a 20.7% increase. Noting that the minimum wage had not been raised in six years, the Governor was implicitly acknowledging Hawaii’s high cost of living. The […]
Read MoreDetails of the Fiscal Cliff Deal
On New Year’s Day, almost 24 hours after the deadline had passed, members of Congress approved the American Taxpayer Relief Act that shielded the majority of Americans from the effects of the “fiscal cliff”, which threatened to send the economy back into recession. The key elements of the fiscal cliff deal are the following: Up […]
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