Hawaii Supreme Court Finds Solar Energy Tax Credit Form, Instructions Inconsistent With Applicable Law

The Hawaii Supreme Court issued a decision concluding that the 2012 tax form and instructions used for claiming the renewable energy technologies income tax credit in Hawaii are inconsistent with the applicable law. The court held that the taxpayer couple who installed solar energy systems on their Hawaii home in 2012 are entitled to the full $17,250 renewable energy tax credit they claimed, reversing lower court decisions that had reduced or denied the credit. The lower courts had improperly required the taxpayers to make irrevocable elections about treating excess tax credit as refundable or nonrefundable, even though they did not ...