Hawaii considers $25 tourist tax to cover fire, environmental damage

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Hawaiian lawmakers are considering a new $25 tax for visitors to offset an estimated $16 billion in damage left by the wildfires in Maui in 2023.

The bill would also address the damaging environmental impact of tourism across the state.

HB2406 would establish a Climate Health and Environmental Action Special Fund within in the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources, which would be funded by an "additional $25 tax on transient accommodations."

The tax would not apply for healthcare facilities, schools, gifted accommodations or for those housed in emergency shelters as a result of the Maui fire.

"Climate change and overuse are placing our natural and cultural resources in increasing peril by creating greater risk of fire, flood, coastal erosion, loss of reefs and pollution of our air and water supplies, threatening lives, homes, visitor accommodations, fisheries, stability of other natural systems and irreplaceable Hawaiian cultural landscapes," the bill reads.

In 2023, Gov. Josh Green said he would renew efforts to pass a climate impact fee.

"Last year, it stalled a little bit. But imagine how helpful that program would have been to address the disaster in Maui. We need to do a little better this year," he said.

The tax, which could raise $68 million annually, would be used for items like wildfire and flood prevention, coral reef restoration, green infrastructure, land management and emergency supplies.