WHY IS HAWAII SO EXPENSIVE?

THE WMTA AGREES WITH CONCLUSIONS CONTAINED IN THIS ENLIGHTENING RESOURCE AND SUPPORTS THE GRASSROOT INSTITUTE WITH APPRECIATION:

"​Hawaii residents enjoy one of the most beautiful places on earth to live, but they pay a high price to do so. How high is the “price of paradise”?

Institute Marketing Director Josh Mason sums it up the issue succinctly in his aptly titled new article, "Why is Hawaii so expensive?"

Accompanied by a David Swann cartoon that is as relevant now as when Swann produced it four years ago, Mason's article boils it down to three main factors:

>> High taxes.

>> Land-use and zoning regulations that make housing unaffordable.

>> The Jones Act, which increases shipping costs to, from and between the islands.

His conclusion: 

"Sure, there is a price to pay for living in the most isolated islands in the world, but state, county and federal government policies increase the price even further.

"Hawaii would be better off if lawmakers would remove the barriers that prevent entrepreneurs and citizens from freely exchanging goods and services and solving the state’s problems. Then perhaps people would not be priced out of paradise."

Read the entire article, with all the facts and figures, here.