(a) The council shall determine the rate and the minimum tax at which all vehicles and motor vehicles in each respective county shall be taxed as provided by § 249-2. In making the determination, the rate and minimum tax on trucks or noncommercial motor vehicles shall be in accordance with subsection (b). The rate and minimum tax shall be established by ordinance, provided that prior to final action thereon a public hearing shall be held on the proposed rate. Public notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given at least ten days prior to the hearing in the county. After the public hearing the council may fix the rate and the minimum tax at any amount deemed necessary, but the rate and the minimum shall not be higher than that originally proposed when the notice of public hearing was given. Any rate and minimum tax so established shall be effective as of January 1 of the year following the date of enactment of the ordinance.

Attorney's Note

Under the Hawaii Revised Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
misdemeanorup to 1 year$2,000
petty misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $1,000
For details, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 706-663

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-13

  • county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
  • Director of finance: means the director of finance of each county or of the county concerned, and includes the director's duly authorized deputies and subordinates. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-1
  • Motor vehicle: means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power but which is not operated upon rails, but excludes mopeds. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-1
  • net weight: means the actual weight of such vehicle, as determined on a standard scale, including all equipment and accessories ordinarily attached to and used on the vehicle and, in the case of a motor vehicle, the maximum fuel, oil, and water possible of being carried for its operation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-1
  • Truck: means any motor vehicle designed or used primarily for the carriage of property other than effects of the driver or passengers, and includes a motor vehicle to which has been added a box, platform, or other equipment for such carriage. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-1
  • Vehicle: means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, but excludes devices moved by human power or devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks and mopeds. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-1
(b) The rate and minimum tax for a truck or noncommercial motor vehicle shall be the same as provided for a passenger vehicle if:

(1) The truck or noncommercial motor vehicle has a net weight of six thousand five hundred pounds or less; and
(2) The owner submits proof to the director of finance that the truck or noncommercial motor vehicle is not being operated for compensation or commercial purposes.
(c) Any person who submits proof under subsection (b) to the director of finance knowing that it is false shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor.

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