I believe Hawaiʻi can be a place where every family can afford to stay, every child has the opportunity to thrive, every kūpuna can age with dignity, and every community has the resources it needs to be healthy, resilient, and safe. Achieving that future requires more than good intentions—it requires a tax system that reflects our shared values and provides the resources to invest in the people who make Hawaiʻi home.

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That is why I have consistently supported tax fairness.

This past legislative session, we took an important step by increasing the top marginal income tax rate by 2% on Hawaiʻi's highest-income earners. Rather than asking working families to bear the burden of growing needs and increasing uncertainty, we asked those with the greatest ability to contribute to invest a little more in the public systems that benefit us all. It reflects a simple principle: everyone should contribute according to their ability, and those who have benefited the most from our economy should help sustain the communities that made that success possible.

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That work becomes even more important as Hawaiʻi faces an uncertain fiscal future. Federal budget decisions threaten billions of dollars that support healthcare, food assistance, public education, affordable housing, disability services, and care for our kūpuna. Strengthening our own revenue system gives Hawaiʻi greater stability, greater independence, and a greater ability to protect the services our communities depend upon regardless of what happens in Washington.

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The 2% increase for Hawaiʻi's highest-income earners was an important beginning, but there is more work to do. Our tax code still contains inequities that favor wealth over work, allow some large corporations to avoid paying their fair share, and reward speculative investment while making it harder for local families to afford housing. These are policy choices, and we have the opportunity to make different ones.

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A stronger and fairer tax system could include closing corporate tax loopholes, ensuring that investment income is taxed more equitably, strengthening taxes on luxury real estate transactions, preventing multinational corporations from shifting profits outside Hawaiʻi, and modernizing our revenue system to better reflect today's economy. These reforms would help create a more stable fiscal foundation while ensuring that responsibility is shared fairly.

The purpose of progressive taxation is not to punish success. It is to recognize that strong communities are built together. Quality public schools, affordable healthcare, resilient infrastructure, environmental stewardship, public safety, housing, and emergency preparedness are investments that make Hawaiʻi a better place to live and do business. They benefit every resident and every employer, and they deserve sustainable support.

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The revenue generated through a fairer tax system should be invested where it will make the greatest difference: in our public schools, affordable housing, healthcare, local agriculture, climate resilience, public safety, services for people with disabilities and our kūpuna, and the rural communities that have too often been overlooked. These investments strengthen our economy, improve quality of life, and create opportunities for future generations.

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I believe Hawaiʻi is strongest when prosperity is broadly shared and everyone contributes fairly to the common good. The 2% increase on our wealthiest taxpayers demonstrated that meaningful progress is possible. By continuing to modernize our tax system with fairness, responsibility, and compassion, we can build a Hawaiʻi where every family has the opportunity not just to get by, but to flourish.