When lawmakers pushed for increasing the minimum wage, Lowell Kalapa argued it would hurt small businesses and the economy. When some wanted to raise the hotel room tax, he pointed out to them that rather than finding a convenient way to raise revenues without hitting the pocketbooks of taxpayers, they were taking money away from tourists that could have been spent on charter tours and souvenirs.
Kalapa, president of the nonprofit Tax Foundation of Hawaii since the 1970s, died Monday of unknown causes. He was 64.
A respected economic voice in the halls of both the state Capitol and Honolulu Hale, he preached fiscal restraint by lobbying for fairness and equity in taxes, reduced government spending, and ensuring lawmakers and citizens alike understood the impacts that the measures introduced by state and county lawmakers had on regular people.
Despite his often sour and blunt assessments of their proposals, both Democratic and Republican leaders said they valued Kalapa’s integrity, institutional knowledge and uncanny ability to dissect complex financial issues and make them easy for people to understand.
"There were times we disagreed, but he provided an opinion that was very straightforward, and he gave a pretty good history and perspective that were often missing," said House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke. "I don’t know anyone who will be able to fill that void."
Luke said no one could explain the difference between the state’s excise tax and a common sales tax like Kalapa could.
Even a political veteran like Senate President Donna Mercado Kim, a former Senate Ways and Means Committee chairwoman, said she always read Kalapa’s testimony to gain insights she might have missed.
"You could always count on him to tell it like it is," Kim said.
Kalapa was a graduate of Punahou School and received a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
State Sen. Sam Slom, who preceded Kalapa as the foundation’s president, credited Kalapa’s journalism background for his ability to analyze and explain clearly complex financial issues.
"Lowell Kalapa will go down as the finest financial analyst and watchdog for taxpayers that we’ve ever had, and ever will," he said.
