Report Title:

TAT; Product Development; Cultural Programs

 

Description:

Requires that not less than 40 percent of moneys allocated to the Tourism Special Fund from the Transient Accommodations Tax be used for tourism product development and cultural programs.  (HB681 HD1)

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

681

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Section 237D-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  Revenues collected under this chapter shall be distributed as follows, with the excess revenues to be deposited into the general fund:

     (1)  17.3 per cent of the revenues collected under this chapter shall be deposited into the convention center enterprise special fund established under section 201B-8; provided that beginning January 1, 2002, if the amount of the revenue collected under this paragraph exceeds $33,000,000 in any calendar year, revenues collected in excess of $33,000,000 shall be deposited into the general fund;

     (2)  34.2 per cent of the revenues collected under this chapter shall be deposited into the tourism special fund established under section 201B-11 for tourism promotion and visitor industry research; provided that [beginning]:

         (A)  Not less than forty per cent shall be used for tourism product development and cultural programs;

         (B)  Beginning on July 1, 2002, of the first $1,000,000 in revenues deposited:

         [(A)(i)       Ninety per cent shall be deposited into the state parks special fund established in section 184-3.4; and

         [(B)(ii) Ten per cent shall be deposited into the special land and development fund established in section 171-19 for the Hawaii statewide trail and access program;

              [provided that of the 34.2 per cent,]

         (C)  0.5 per cent shall be transferred to a sub-account in the tourism special fund to provide funding for a safety and security budget, in accordance with the Hawaii tourism strategic plan 2005-2015; [provided further that of] and

          (D)  Of the revenues remaining in the tourism special fund after revenues have been deposited as provided in this paragraph and except for any sum authorized by the legislature for expenditure from revenues subject to this paragraph, beginning July 1, 2007, funds shall be deposited into the tourism emergency trust fund, established in section 201B-10, in a manner sufficient to maintain a fund balance of $5,000,000 in the tourism emergency trust fund;

         and

     (3)  44.8 per cent of the revenues collected under this chapter shall be transferred as follows:  Kauai county shall receive 14.5 per cent, Hawaii county shall receive 18.6 per cent, city and county of Honolulu shall receive 44.1 per cent, and Maui county shall receive 22.8 per cent.

     All transient accommodations taxes shall be paid into the state treasury each month within ten days after collection and shall be kept by the state director of finance in special accounts for distribution as provided in this subsection."

     SECTION 2.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2112.