(AP) — Hawaiʻi lawmakers are overriding Gov. David Ige’s veto of a bill that overhauls how the state funds the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and allocates tourism tax revenue to the counties. The bill would stop funding the tourism agency with money raised by the transient accommodations tax on hotel stays and other short-term rentals. Instead, lawmakers intend to fund the agency with money from the general fund. Also, instead of providing the state’s four major counties with a share of transient accommodations tax revenue, the legislation gives the counties the authority to levy their own surcharge to the tax. Currently, only the state charges the tax.
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