Question: The City and County of Honolulu has a tax relief program for homeowners who qualify for the homeowner exemption and live in a high-rise building that has been retrofitted with an automatic sprinkler system. Is it OK to just email the application, or must a hard copy also be mailed or delivered? I’m getting conflicting information.
Answer: “The city will accept the signed application via email or the taxpayer can mail in the original signed application to us,” said Sherri Donlin, revenue collections administrator for the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ Treasury Division.
That matches the instructions on the application and brochure for this Oahu property tax credit. You reported receiving different instructions over the phone from the division’s tax relief section, but Donlin clarified the matter.
To download the application, go to honolulu.gov/treasury and click on the link for the Automatic Sprinkler Tax Credit Application. Email the completed, signed application to bfstreasmailbox@honolulu.gov or mail it to City and County of Honolulu, Treasury Division, Tax Relief Section, 715 S. King St., Room 505, Honolulu, HI 96813.
You’ll also need to include supporting documents.
Sept. 30 is the deadline to apply.
If you qualify, the $2,000 credit will be applied to your real property tax bill for tax year 2023-2024. If the credit exceeds your tax liability, the balance will be applied to your future property tax bill. Your annual property tax liability after the credit cannot be less than the minimum property tax of $300.
Here are eligibility requirements, according to the Treasury Division, via the mayor’s communications’ office:
>> Homeowner must have a home exemption in effect at the time of application and for the subsequent tax year.
>> Homeowner must provide a building permit to show that the automatic sprinkler system was installed in accordance with applicable building and fire codes.
>> Homeowner must provide the Final Completion Certificate showing that the sprinkler system installation was completed and done according to the building code requirements.
>> Homeowner must file an application for the Automatic Sprinkler Tax Credit no later than 24 months after the Certificate of Completion is issued.
This credit is intended to improve fire safety in older Oahu residential high-rise buildings. To qualify, the building must have been built before 1993, and the floors used for occupancy must be 75 feet above the highest grade, the application says.
Eligible homeowners who need more information may call the tax relief office at 808-768-3205.
Q: I received the American Community Survey in the mail, which is about 50 pages long and asks personal financial questions. I know there’s a federal law that you must fill it out, but my question is whether I’m going to get this thing every year if I fill it out this time.
A: No. The U.S. Census Bureau says it’s “very unlikely” a household would receive the ACS more than once every five years. The agency mails the annual survey to addresses, not individuals, and it’s rare for the same address to be selected more often than that, it says on its website. If you move, however, you may receive the ACS at your new address, if that address is selected.
The Census Bureau describes the ACS as the “premier source” for detailed population and housing information about U.S. communities and the nation as a whole, because it collects data every year about education, housing, jobs and other topics — unlike the decennial census, which collects data every 10 years.
You’re correct that federal law (Title 13, U.S. Code) requires recipients to fill it out.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
