City Councilwoman proposes boosting property tax exemption for homeowners

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu’s newest City Council member is pushing for a bigger property tax break for homeowners.

North Shore Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi is proposing to increase the basic property tax exemption from $80,000 to $100,000.

The exemption would not apply to vacation rentals — and would not be allowed on more than one home for any taxpayer.

She said this year homeowners saw the assessment values of their homes go up by 5 percent or more.

"So without even any tax increases, they have seen a very big tax increase on their bills.”

If approved by the City Council, the exemption increase would go into effect on July 1, 2020.

The last time the exemption amount was bumped up was 13 years ago, when it increased from $40,000.

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