04-29-2013, 02:38 AM
This is a letter I just sent to the committee and I urge EVERYONE to do something similar RIGHT NOW as the vote is tomorrow. Feel free to take talking points from my letter but please don't cut and paste as it diminishes the effectiveness of your testimony.
Send to:
EGHtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov
To Whom It May Concern:
The following are my comments on SB 1077. Having lived in Oregon for most
of my life where owners are allowed to do any work on their own home
(including plumbing and electrical) as long as it passes final inspection
by the county, I am appalled by SB1077. I am in the planning stages of
building my home on acreage in Puna. This new bill is even more
restrictive than the current law prohibiting owners from doing plumbing
and wiring on their own land.
Requiring owners to pay payroll taxes on day labor is ridiculous. Many
owners are actively involved in the building of their homes and only
require occasional assistance. This bill may make sense from a Honolulu
point of view, but out here in the jungle of East Hawai`i it is illogical
on many fronts. Federal requirements on independent contractors begins at
$600 in the form of filing a Form 1099. Independent contractors are
responsible for withholding on their own earnings in this way. Requiring
owner/contractors to calculate payroll taxes does nothing but make it ever
more difficult for those who choose to build their own home, and in many
cases will make it impossible to do so.
We who choose to live in the vastly rural areas of Hawai`i should not be
penalized for contributing to a dismal economy in these areas. Puna
district is one of the poorest places in the US, and is likely the most
economicallly depressed area in the State of Hawai`i. Please reconsider
your actions from a STATEWIDE point of view, not just from the fiscal
picture of Honolulu or Kona or Princeville. I urge you NOT to pass this
overly restrictive bill to please the Contractor's Board and special
interests.
Candi, `Ihilani Coffee
Send to:
EGHtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov
To Whom It May Concern:
The following are my comments on SB 1077. Having lived in Oregon for most
of my life where owners are allowed to do any work on their own home
(including plumbing and electrical) as long as it passes final inspection
by the county, I am appalled by SB1077. I am in the planning stages of
building my home on acreage in Puna. This new bill is even more
restrictive than the current law prohibiting owners from doing plumbing
and wiring on their own land.
Requiring owners to pay payroll taxes on day labor is ridiculous. Many
owners are actively involved in the building of their homes and only
require occasional assistance. This bill may make sense from a Honolulu
point of view, but out here in the jungle of East Hawai`i it is illogical
on many fronts. Federal requirements on independent contractors begins at
$600 in the form of filing a Form 1099. Independent contractors are
responsible for withholding on their own earnings in this way. Requiring
owner/contractors to calculate payroll taxes does nothing but make it ever
more difficult for those who choose to build their own home, and in many
cases will make it impossible to do so.
We who choose to live in the vastly rural areas of Hawai`i should not be
penalized for contributing to a dismal economy in these areas. Puna
district is one of the poorest places in the US, and is likely the most
economicallly depressed area in the State of Hawai`i. Please reconsider
your actions from a STATEWIDE point of view, not just from the fiscal
picture of Honolulu or Kona or Princeville. I urge you NOT to pass this
overly restrictive bill to please the Contractor's Board and special
interests.
Candi, `Ihilani Coffee
Candi, `Ihilani Coffee