Special to Hawai`i's H4 € Volume 20, No. 10 € October 1995
The World Wide Web Edition
LAWMAKERS ASKED TO
TAKE TAX PLEDGE
SBH Forms Taxpayer Coalition
LAWMAKERS ASKED TO
TAKE TAX PLEDGE
SBH Forms Taxpayer Coalition
Small Business Hawaii has joined forces with Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the Washington D.C. organization that several years ago successfully initiated a taxpayer protection pledge by Members of Congress. (Hawaii's delegation refused to sign). The effort was credited with having a major impact on the "Contract With America" tax reform proposals, and the '94 Congressional elections.
Investor's Business Daily has written favorably about the association and its hard-working and savvy director, Grover G. Norquist. ATR has been successful.
Now ATR is seeking a no-tax pledge from state lawmakers and recruited affiliates in all 50 states. SBH is the Hawaii affiliate and has established the Coalition of Hawaii Taxpayers.
The Hawaii pledge, which will be distributed to all 51 members of the Hawaii House and 25 members of the Senate, states, "I, ______ , pledge to the taxpayers of the __ District of the State of Hawaii, and to all people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes." Results of the pledge signups will be reported to all media by the Hawaii Coalition in time for the 1996 State Legislature and the '96 state elections.
On September 13, the Hawaii Coalition participated in a nationwide telephone conference call, with 25 other state leaders, Norquist of ATR and U.S. Rep. John Kasich, Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Kasich updated the status of the budget battle and strategies for future tax and deficit reduction.
This is a united effort, and one in which concerned citizens, businesses and organizations can become more involved. Interested? Call Sam Slom at SBH, (808) 396-1724 FAX 396-1726.
Statewide Small Business Congress Nov. 10 & 11
Nominees Sought for 1996 SBA Awards
B.I.T.E. on the Month Awarded
Privatization Touching Government
Royal Hawaiian Mint Grand Opening
Business Fundamentals Planning Seminar Nov. 3
Retail Strategy Session Held
Small Business Views by Sam Slom
Orson Swindle: Thumbs Up Hawaii?
Susan Kinsler: Getting Commercial Space Is A Battle!
As previously reported, The 16 Hawaii Delegates to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business held in June, vowed to continue what they and the 2,000 small business delegates from all over the nation began. The delegates prioritized 60 major small business issues (an independent contractor definition was number 1).
They will hold county small business gatherings--the Oahu meeting will be on October 18--and then convene the statewide Small Business Congress at the Ilikai Hotel on Friday and Saturday, November 10-11. The object is to get small business owners more directly involved in order to lobby the State Legislature and Hawaii's Congressional Delegation to enact the 60 small business improvements.
The Honolulu District office of the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the opening of nominations for Hawaii's outstanding small business owners and advocates for 1996. Nomination forms are now available for all ten categories for these distinguished awards, including the Small Business Person of the Year, Young Entrepreneur, Small Business Exporter, Entrepreneurial Success Awards, and six business advocacy awards.
The prestigious SBA Small Business Awards are the highlight of "National Small Business Week." Designated by the President each year since 1963, National Small Business Week is designed to recognize the significant contributions of America's 21.5 million small businesses to our economy. Scheduled for June 2 through 8, 1996, special events will be held to honor the best small business owners, successful entrepreneurs and advocates in Hawaii and around the country.
SBA's Honolulu District office will be accepting completed nomination forms through November 6, 1995. For further information, or to request a Small Business Awards nominations packet, call Jane Sawyer at the SBA at 541-2973.
Poole was joined by Reason Foundation analysts William Eggers and John O' Leary, authors of the new book, "Revolution at the Roots." They spent two years traveling America's political frontier, taking the nation's political pulse, and discussing a wide range of private solutions to government problems.
While here, the trio met with State Administration officials, the media, key Legislators and made the talk show circuit.
After years of no progress here, privatization is on the front burner in Hawaii.
House Minority Floor Leader Rep. Cynthia Thielen (Kailua-Kaneohe Bay Dr.) today presented the Watchdog Group's "B.I.T.E. of the Month" Award to HCDA's Acting Executive Director Lori Hoo and Tax Department Director Ray Kamikawa. "B.I.T.E." stands for "Bureaucratic Inefficiencies at Taxpayers' Expense." The department directors each received a rawhide dog bone wrapped in a red bow with a certificate, for allowing Aloha Group to continue its lucrative state contract relationship with HCDA, even though Aloha Group owed a quarter million dollars in back taxes to the state.
"This situation really highlights how jammed the communication lines are between bureaucracies," declared Rep. Thielen. "The state Tax Department is looking for money, and here was a company that owes a quarter of a million dollars in back taxes-right under its nose!"
"Every contract should include language that states, 'The state will not do business with tax-evaders,' Period. Otherwise, we are just wasting the taxpayers' money," Rep Thielen concluded.
The Royal Hawaiian Mint, an SBH member operated by Bernard von NotHaus, can be reached at 949-6468.
Among the business agenda items are: "Sexual Harassment - Who's Sorry Now?"; "Safety and Health Programs: Can Employers Become HIOSH Proof"?; "The Americans with Disabilities Act - Avoiding Litigation and Cost Containment" and "Investment-Driven Tax Planning." These are all important topics for every business owner.
Speakers include Roy M. Adams, attorney at Schiff Hardin & Waite of Chicago; Barbara A. Petrus, attorney at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel of Honolulu; Greg S. Thorp with the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Bruce M. Clark, President of Accessibility Planning & Consulting, Inc. in Honolulu. The luncheon speakers are William S. Villafranco and Peter DeLisser of Alpha Investment Management, Inc. of New York.
The registration cost for the seminar is $95. SBH members are entitled to a special $50 pre-registration fee UNTIL October 15. Send your check to Chaminade University Tax Foundation, 1035 University Avenue, Suite 201, Honolulu, HI 96826.
For further information call June or Gail at Chaminade University Tax Foundation at 946-2966 or fax 943-3140.
Kent Burnes, nationally known and respected retailing expert, and author of Attack of the Killer Wal-Marts, Facing the Threat of National Discounters: A Sourcebook for Ideas, and Facing the Warehouse Home Center Challenge, made several special appearances throughout Hawaii last month to help small businesses, especially those involved in retailing (or who have retailiers as clients).
Small Business Hawaii (SBH) was one of the supporters of this visit, arranged and sponsored by the UHH Small Business Development Center Network, Laura Noda, Director, and Bank of Hawaii. Burnes visited all islands and presented seminars and one-on-one in-store private consultations by appointment.
On August 28, SBH arranged a special meeting with Burnes in the SBH office in Hawaii Kai. About 15 members took advantage of this no cost breakfast seminar and learned many helpful retailing tips.
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