July 12, 2016
Gov. David Ige has vetoed a bill that would allow Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and other alternative accommodations companies to act as tax brokers on behalf of the state; however, Ige’s spokesperson says the governor likes the “intent of the bill”. Ige vetoed House Bill 1850 on Monday. The measure passed during the last week of the session in May, and the governor indicated his plans to veto at the end of June. “He likes the intent of the bill,” said Jodi Leong, Ige’s press secretary and deputy communications director. “But there are some things that need to be changed. He means for it to be amended by the Legislature and then hopes to pass it next session.” The governor previously said he was concerned about the “unintended consequences” of the measure, adding vacation rentals are under city jurisdiction. Ige’s reference was to the City and County of Honolulu’s crackdown on illegal vacation rentals on Oahu. The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting earlier this year hired five people to work on enforcing city laws on transient vacation rental activity, issuing 40 notices of violation during the first quarter alone, compared to 35 notices for all of 2015….
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2016/07/12/ige-vetos-hawaiis-airbnb-tax-broker-measure-but.html
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