State briefs for February 9

State predicts 1.5 percent rise in visitors in 2017

HONOLULU (AP) — State economists are forecasting the number of visitors to Hawaii likely will rise 1.5 percent this year.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said Wednesday about 9.1 million travelers are expected to come to the islands. This would mark the sixth consecutive year of record visitor arrivals.

Bills would enforce internet tax collections

HONOLULU (AP) — State lawmakers are considering several bills to begin collecting taxes on online sales of retail products.

Rep. Isaac Choy estimated the move could bring in $80 million for the state each year.

House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke said new state efforts to collect internet taxes were prompted by Amazon.com’s recent decision to collect taxes for 36 states. Hawaii was not among them.

The bills come as the state’s tax collections have been mostly flat this year and lawmakers are looking for alternative sources of revenue.

One of the Hawaii bills would require out-of-state retailers to submit an annual report to the Tax Department detailing how much they sold online to Hawaii customers. Another calls for online companies with sales of $100,000 or more to collect and file excise taxes on their sales in Hawaii. One measure also would establish a “simplified sellers use tax remittance program” that out-of-state merchants could use to voluntarily collect Hawaii taxes from their online customers and remit them to the state. The sellers would be allowed to keep 2 percent of what they collect on behalf of the state.

Rent dispute could shut down mule tours

HONOLULU (AP) — A popular mule tour that has operated for more than 40 years could be forced to shut down because of a rent dispute.

Kalaupapa Rare Adventures on Molokai guides visitors on mule rides down a 1,600-foot cliff to the Kalaupapa peninsula. Eldon “Buzzy” Sproat started the company in the 1970s. His family has kept the business running since he died in 2014.

Now, Sproat’s daughter, Kalehua Sproat, says the companies that own part of the land where the tours are hosted — RW Meyer Ltd. and Miala Inc. — want to increase the rent from $1,800 to $3,000 and are demanding 20 percent of the business profits.

RW Meyer President Paul Meyer said in an email the matter is in dispute and the company sought legal help.

The company’s board members voted 7-2 Saturday to raise the rent.

If both sides fail to reach an agreement, the decadesold mule rides could come to an end.

Panel considers measures for short-term rentals

HONOLULU (AP) — A state House committee Tuesday passed two bills that would allow the state to collect more tax revenue from vacation rental and bed-and-breakfast properties while the state’s counties figure out how to regulate them.

The committee passed two bills that would allow vacation rental websites such as Airbnb to collect taxes on behalf of short-term rental operators who list their properties online. Operators must currently pay their own taxes.

State House Tourism Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Onishi said he’s aiming for legislation that would collect taxes and make sure short-term rentals are legal under state and county law.

The bills must still be heard by other House committees. State Senate committees scheduled a hearing on similar bills later this week.

People vaccinated during outbreak need 2nd shot

HONOLULU (AP) — The state Department of Health is reminding people who were vaccinated during last year’s hepatitis A outbreak that it’s time for a second dose.

The department said Tuesday that data shows there were about 90,000 hepatitis A vaccines administered in Hawaii between July and November.

The outbreak sickened hundreds of people.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park warns that outbreaks continue to occur worldwide and that a local outbreak could happen again.

She says while one dose of the vaccine provides good protection, two doses are necessary for lasting immunity.

The second dose must be administered six months after the first.