Off the News: Cruise Lines Try to Sink New ‘Green Fee’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Off the news: Cruise lines try to sink new ‘green fee’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

The cruise ship industry and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice are fighting the state’s move to charge a transient accommodations tax (TAT) — including a newly added “green fee” for environmental remediation — on passengers when ships dock in Hawaii. On Friday, they won an emergency injunction preventing tax collections for Hawaii-docked ships until arguments are resolved.

Hawaii climate tax on cruise ships blocked hours before launch

The US federal government and the cruise industry blocked a climate and tourism tax on cruise ships just hours before it was due to launch.

Cruise ships dodge Hawaiian climate resilience tax after court challenge

Hawaiian lawmakers have failed in an attempt to impose climate change levies on cruise ships, after the tax was challenged in court by a cruise trade association. After initial approval by a district judge, the new legislation has now been temporarily blocked by US Circuit Court of Appeals judges. The fiscal eco move by Hawaiian authorities was due to come into force on 1 January 2026 and would have seen an 11% tax on gross cruise ship passenger…

USA court halts Hawaii climate tax on cruise passengers

A United States federal appeals court has temporarily blocked Hawaii from enforcing a new climate tax on cruise ship passengers, pausing the charge while a legal challenge by the cruise industry moves forward. The ruling by two judges on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, prevents the state from enforcing the tax while legal challenges proceed. The lawsuit was brought by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which argues that the new …

Hawaii’s Green Fee runs aground as cruise tax faces court delay

Hawaii’s closely watched “Green Fee,” a new levy on hotels, short-term rentals, and cruise tourism, encountered a legal setback...