TAT redistribution

[kalakoa]

I didn't realize that HTA got over $100M share of TAT revenue:

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/stat...ism-agency

HTA gets $82 million in transient accommodation taxes for marketing and operations and $26.5 million in transient accommodation taxes for the Hawaii Convention Center.

$82M (or whatever part isn't "operations", unknown due to HTA's "secret accounting") seems like an awful lot of money for "marketing" ... pretty sure people have heard of Hawaii by now.

Meanwhile, the Big Island gets a $19M share of TAT.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

pretty sure people have heard of Hawaii by now.

Look at how successful they are!
All their employees should get a trophy, just for participating!


"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms

[Eric1600]

This is the basic breakdown:

• The Tourism Special Fund (TSF) receive $82 million in fiscal year (FY) 2015 and FY2016, and amounts changing in line with the Consumer Price Index for
Urban Consumers (Honolulu) in subsequent years;
•Existing appropriations for the Convention Center, Turtle Bay, and the Special Land Development Fund, totaling $31 million, continue at the same level in future years; and
• The remainder of the TAT revenues be allocated to the State and counties, with the State receiving 55 percent of the remainder, and the counties
receiving 45 percent

The distribution of revenues to the four counties has followed an allocation established in 1990, which has not changed in later years (44.1 percent to the City and County of Honolulu, 22.8 percent to Maui County, 18.6 percent to Hawai‘i County, and 14.5 percent to Kaua‘i County).

http://files.hawaii.gov/auditor/Reports/...Report.pdf

The report points out in 1990 after the TAT was enacted 95% went to the 4 counties. Now it is about 44% and the dollar amount has essentially been fixed at about $60-$100 million since 1991.

They conveniently don't provide a breakdown of sources for TAT revenue.