Average proprty tax in Kona, Maui, or Kaui(sp?) (Hilo: sales, car registration)

[sick of the winter]

Researching expenses for a job related move this summer:
If anyone can fill in what they pay, or what they know I'd appreciate it and what town/island



Property/school tax on a 300K-450K home OR tax rate per $1000.00.....


average utility bill:

Electric:
Phone/cable/HS internet:
Water:
Garbage:
Sales Tax rate:

any other info like state income tax rate, car registration payments, etc..
Thanks

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Researching expenses for a job related move this summer:
If anyone can fill in what they pay, or what they know I'd appreciate it and what town/island

Property/school tax on a 300K-450K home OR tax rate per $1000.00.....

average utility bill:

Electric:
Phone/cable/HS internet:
Water:
Garbage:
Sales Tax rate:

any other info like state income tax rate, car registration payments, etc..
Thanks

Property taxes are a tough one. Although they seem to be much less (Big Island) here than back on the mainland, there are so many variables that it is hard to tell you what the tax could be. You get a 100k owner-occupied deduction for starters, plus there are all sorts of other ways to reduce the tax bill.

Electric - You mention Kona so you may be running the AC. Electric rates on this island are around $.40 to $.45 per kwh and it varies slightly from month-to-month, based upon the cost of oil. That is probably about triple your mainland rate. Expect at least $200 per month with no AC.

Phone/cable/HS internet - no real difference than mainland.

Water - Friends have mentioned $40+ per month for County water. We are on catchment. As long as it keeps raining, we have lots of water.

Garbage - You are kidding? It is called "Take it to the transfer station yourself." Even in Hilo or Kona, there isn't really trash service. Although some people do pay for trash pickup, most people simply take it to one of the county transfer stations themselves for no extra cost (other than their time and gas)

Sales Tax - The state calls it GET (general excise tax) It is a tax on almost everything except prescription meds. The rate here is 4.166%. Even food is taxed. Some people will claim it isn't a sales tax, but since the consumer is the one ultimately paying for it, it is a sales tax in every way but the name. It is a tax on every sale (revenue). Most companies list it as an extra when you purchase, others simply have already built the tax in. Wholesale companies are even taxed at .5% on every sale.

The taxes end up being rather cumulative and it contributes to the overall high cost of living here.

[Calico Salsa]

Maui County Property Tax rates:
Maui County, HI - Official Website - Classification for Tax Rate Purposes
Be aware that a resident homeowner gets an exemption on the assessed value, so the overall tax is less than for someone who has a second home here.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Researching expenses for a job related move this summer:
If anyone can fill in what they pay, or what they know I'd appreciate it and what town/island



Property/school tax on a 300K-450K home OR tax rate per $1000.00.....

Here are links to the official tax rate schedules for the counties of interest...
County of Hawai'i - Property Tax Rates
Maui County - Property Tax Rates
Kaua'i County - Property Tax Rates

For electricity, here's a link...
HECO > Average Electric Rates for Hawaiian Electric Co., Maui Electric Co. and Hawaii Electric Light Co.

Phone/cable/HS internet:
It varies, depending on what kind of package deal you have. Here are links to a couple of the most popular providers...
Oceanic Time Warner Cable | Oceanic Time Warner
Hawaii Phones, Internet Service Provider, Wireless, & Cell Phones

Water:
It varies, some folks have county water, some have private well water, and others have catchment systems. However, even if one has a catchment system there are costs involved in making the water potable.

Garbage:
While private trash collection services are available in some areas, most folks just take their garbage to the "transfer station" or "dump."

Sales Tax rate:
Officially, there is no sales tax in Hawai'i; however, the General Excise Tax (GET) of 4.166% on just about everything serves a similar purpose. In the halls of the Hawai'i State Legislature there are ideas afloat to allow the counties to impose an additional true sales tax on retail goods.
Lawmakers urge Hawaii counties to impose new sales taxes: Legislators' proposal would ease way for state to keep all hotel taxes

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

any other info like state income tax rate, car registration payments, etc..
Thanks

Here's a link to a PDF of the marginal 2009 income tax rates for all 50 states...
http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/state_ind_income_rates-20090710.pdf (broken link)

Vehicle registration fees vary by county; however, the fees are usually based on the net weight of the vehicle.

Various insurance policies eg. auto insurance, fire insurance, hurricane insurance, tsunami insurance, etc. can take a nice bite out of one's budget.

[Calico Salsa]

Nice info Jonah!

Maui County - many people use the county refuse collection
Maui County, HI - Official Website - Refuse Collection Information (http://www.mauicounty.gov/index.aspx?nid=766 - broken link)
Current rate is $216/year, which is a subsidized cost, with the county paying about half of the actual cost of $432/year.