ARDA Asks for Veto of Hawaii HB 862

Hawaii recently passed House Bill 862, and it is now on Hawaii Governor David Ige’s desk for consideration. If signed into law, this bill would limit funding for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, eliminate the allocation of Transient Accommodations Tax monies to counties and allow each county to establish their own accommodations tax up to 3%. It is ARDA’s position that HB 862 will create hardships not only for the local tourism industry, but also the local economy at large. Because of this, on May 11, 2021, ARDA penned a letter, alongside other lodging and tourism businesses as part of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, asking Governor Ige to consider vetoing this harmful legislation.