Hawaii’s ‘Green Fee’ on Cruise Ships Blocked Pending Appeal

Hawaii’s environmental tax on cruise ships is on hold pending resolution of a Ninth Circuit appeal from a federal judge’s order allowing the state to collect the tax.

The Dec. 31 decision from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit also expedited the appeal from Judge Jill A. Otake’s Dec. 23 order that Hawaii’s Act 96, dubbed the “Green Fee,” proceed. The law imposes an 11% surcharge on cruise ships to fund various environmental projects and allows counties to add an additional surcharge of up to 3% depending on how long vessels stay in their jurisdiction.

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