Mainland lottery winnings must be reported back home

Question: I bought some lottery tickets on a trip to the mainland. Will I be able to cash them in if they are winners? I wasn’t sure since we don’t have gambling here.

Answer: Yes, in the state where they were purchased; follow instructions on the back of the ticket or the website for that state’s lottery. The fact that Hawaii doesn’t have a lottery or sanction other gambling doesn’t preclude residents from gambling elsewhere.

Joshua Wisch, a special assistant to the state attorney general, said Hawaii residents of legal age may purchase lottery tickets anywhere it is legal to do so, just as they may gamble while in Las Vegas. Also, there is no violation if Hawaii residents have friends or family members purchase lottery tickets on their behalf, he said.

Money you win must be reported as taxable income, he said.

“Hawaii residents are taxed on the worldwide income they make, regardless of where they make it. If a Hawaii resident earns income from a job in another state, they must report that income, and the same holds true for winning lottery proceeds. Money won by a Hawaii resident in Las Vegas or anywhere else in the world where gambling is legal is taxable income and should be reported,” he said.

Q: But what about in Texas? I thought you had to live there to claim the winnings.

A: No, that’s not true. The Texas Lottery dispels that persistent myth on its website, stating, “There are no restrictions or limitations concerning citizenship when it comes to playing or winning the Texas Lottery; however, the tickets must be purchased from a licensed retailer in Texas.”

Q: Do you have to go to UH to use that tool library?

A: No. The HNL Tool Library was founded by a University of Hawaii student, but membership is open to the general public and it isn’t located on the Manoa campus. Students do receive a cheaper annual membership rate.

Members may borrow tools for a wide variety of home projects. The day we checked, the available inventory included dozens of tools for carpentry, painting, automotive, electrical, plumbing and other projects.

For nonstudents there are two membership choices, according to the library’s website. The Fix It membership costs $65 a year and entitles the user to check out tools for four days at a time, with a maximum of three power tools borrowed simultaneously and fees of $2 to $5 for certain high-maintenance tools. The Make It membership costs $90 a year and entitles the holder to borrow an unlimited number of tools for seven days, with no additional maintenance fees. The student membership is $45 a year, with four-day loans, a limit of two power tools checked out at a time, and maintenance fees.

The library, which is within Re-use Hawaii at 200 Keawe St. in the Kakaako section of Honolulu, is open Wednesdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to hnltoollibrary.org, at which you can find more information.

Auwe

When are pedestrians going to learn that it is illegal to enter a crosswalk when the countdown numbers are flashing? Every day I see people crossing the streets after the countdown has started (some in the single digits), and a lot of them have kids, so they are learning that it’s OK to break the rules. If the HPD is not going to enforce the rules, eliminate the rules and make it a free-for-all. — Ron

Mahalo

Mahalo to the nice young lady who stopped by to help an old lady move a trash can last month on Sierra Drive. The can was dropped in the middle of a curve, and as I moved it to safety at the curb, she came to my rescue. — Charlotte

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.