Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 237-20

  • Business: includes all activities (personal, professional, or corporate) engaged in or caused to be engaged in with the object of gain or economic benefit either direct or indirect, but does not include casual sales. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 237-2
  • company: includes every individual, partnership, society, unincorporated association, joint adventure, group, hui, joint stock company, corporation, trustee, personal representative, trust estate, decedent's estate, trust, trustee in bankruptcy, or other entity, whether such persons are doing business for themselves or in a fiduciary capacity, and whether the individuals are residents or nonresidents of the State, and whether the corporation or other association is created or organized under the laws of the State or of another jurisdiction. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 237-1
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.

A person or company having shareholders or members (a corporation, association, group, trust, partnership, joint adventure, or other person) is taxable upon its business with them, and they are taxable upon their business with it. A person or company, whether or not called a cooperative, through which shareholders or members are pursuing a common objective (for example, the obtaining of property or services for their individual businesses or use, or the marketing of their individual products) is a taxable person, and such facts do not give rise to any tax exemption or tax benefit except as specifically provided. Even though a business has some of the aspects of agency it shall not be so regarded unless it is a true agency. The reimbursement of costs or advances made for or on behalf of one person by another shall not constitute gross income of the latter, unless the person receiving such reimbursement also receives additional monetary consideration for making such costs or advances.