Beginning Sept. 9 and extending through the end of October, about $294 million will be refunded to taxpayers who filed their 2021 returns and have been Hawaiʻi residents for at least nine months.
Photo by John Guccione
Individuals who earned less than $100,000 and couples who earned less than $200,000 will receive a $300 refund per person, including dependents. Those who made more than $200,000 will receive $100 per person. Haven’t gotten around to doing your taxes? You may still qualify, but you must file y0ur 2021 state tax return by Dec. 31.
“It is my hope that the [refunds]…bring some relief to the hardworking people of the state of Hawaiʻi who were hit hard by the pandemic,” said Gov. David Ige.
That sounds magnanimous. Here’s what Gov. Ige failed to mention: the refund was constitutionally mandated because the state’s carry-over balance (aka extra money) exceeded 5 percent for a second consecutive year. The legislature then decides whether to put the money into the rainy day fund or return it to taxpayers.
