The idea of an empty house tax is an upsetting example of government overreach that would infringe on the peacefully private lives of hundreds of part-time Honolulu residents such as myself (“Panel reviews measure to increase Honolulu housing,” Star-Advertiser, May 18).

As a 79-year-old retiree, I am a typical “snowbird” who enjoys spending winters in my Honolulu apartment to avoid the frigid weather of the East Coast. During the remainder of the year, my apartment is vacant because I don’t want strangers living there.

With this tax, government bureaucrats would dictate when and how long I must stay and punish me for disobeying them with a draconian fine (several tens of thousands of dollars). As if Honolulu isn’t expensive enough, this additional expense would be unaffordable and drive me and hundreds of fellow snowbirds away — along with our significant contributions to the economy.

So much for the welcoming aloha spirit.

I can only hope that sanity will prevail to kill this ill-conceived tax.

Geoff Boehm

Great Falls, Va.

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