TAXED OUT!

Many Native Hawaiians are being forced to sell their ‘Āina Kūpuna (ancestral lands) due to outrageous property taxes that continue to increase due to real estate speculation and resort development.
"As the land value around us increases, so do our property taxes." - Keiki Chang Kawaiʻaeʻa
Families like the Chang-Luʻuwai-Kukahikos have had to devise unique strategies just to raise enough money to pay those taxes, and are in an endless battle with the county tax assessor whose objective is to get as much money out of the land as possible.
In some cases, kūpuna are buried on their lands.
Maui Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, OHA and Native Hawaiian community advocates are working together to draft legislation to help ease the tax burden for families that are at risk of losing their generational lands.