Hawai‘i County Council Approves .5 Cent GET Surcharge

The Hawai‘i County Council passed .5 cent general excise tax surcharge on on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, replacing the .25 cent GET surcharge approved last year.

The added goods and services tax will starting Jan. 1, 2020, and will expire in 2030.

The county’s .5 cent GET is in addition to the state’s 4 cent sales tax.

The tax will increase county budget revenues from about $25 million to an estimated $50 million annually.

The council approved the tax hike 7-0.

Mayor Kim said previously that if passed, the administration would use the funds in the pending budget for police, parks maintenance and homeless services.

The mayor will now be able to add about $12 million to the $573.5 million 2019-20 budget he proposed earlier this month. His final budget proposal is due by May 5.