Hawaii just instituted a new tax costing you more now to visit. #hawaii #hawaiitax #tax #travelnews

Now, a federal judge has officially cleared the way for Hawaii to implement a landmark climate tax that includes cruise ship passengers set to take effect on January 1st, 2026.

Now, the legislation signed by Governor Josh Green aims to generate nearly $100 million annually to fund critical environmental projects such as repairing eroding shorelines and managing wildfire risks.

Now, while the law increases existing taxes on hotel rooms and vacation rentals, it introduces a significant new 11% tax on the gross fare of cruise passengers prorated by the number of days spent in Hawaii ports.

Even the US government intervened labeling the tax an extortion scheme.