Like the missionaries and Dole before them, the WSL takes takes takes!
Thanksgiving is a time, in the United States, when families come together and reflect on their good fortune. Or, if you are the World Surf League, contributes to the age-old plundering of Hawaiian resources.
As first reported here, your favorite professional surfing tour partnered with almost hotel Airbnb last year. The coupling began quietly, names simply interlocking on a step-and-repeat and links back and forth between websites (maybe I never clicked).
This year, though, the relationship is being used to actively screw Hawaii out of much needed tax dollars! An “experience” is being offered by the family of the League’s Regional Manager which promises:
We’ll immerse ourselves in surf culture around the Banzai Pipeline. We’ll meet professional surfers, explore Oahu’s North Shore with locals, and get VIP access to a world-class sporting event.
It sounds absolutely fabulous (sign up here) featuring a BBQ with Kieren Perrow, outer reef jetski exploration, Pipeline VIP tickets, surf lesson with Sunny Garcia and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the local economy!
Hawaii Business recently published a story, Lodgers n’ Tax Dodgers, about the toll that vacation rentals take on a system that relies heavily on hotel tax dollars for education, welfare, roads, hopitals, etc. etc. etc.
$115.6 million in TAT taxes generated by short-term vacation rentals. Use the same calculation for the 4 percent excise tax, and that brings the total to $165.6 million. That theoretically is what should be paid by short-term vacation rentals; the state Taxation Department did not say how much is actually paid, but observers suggest only a fraction of the applicable taxes are collected.
Furthermore, the state collected $420.97 million in TAT in the latest fiscal year; that figure was close to the total we calculated for TAT paid by hotels, condo hotels, timeshares, hostels, apartment hotels and other “traditional” accommodations, indicating there is money missing from other sources.
Does this surprise? That the WSL maybe partakes in dodgy business practices?
Maybe!
But still, on this Thanksgiving holiday, I’m grateful to WSL CEO Paul Speaker for… for… ummm… for being too chicken to ever meet me face to face. Oh how I loathe turkey!
Why are we still drunk on the fumes of Dirk Edward Ziff’s patronage , when it has been pointed out on several ocassions in various media outlets that dirk and his brothers robert and daniel are notorious for their dubious investments in some of the worst companies in the world known for their enviromental destruction. How do the top surfers in the world still line up for a paycheck from this family who are openly funding such destruction. Denial is a big river in egypt that the whole wsl circus is slowly floating down riding on a leaky boat called credability. Is our sport is such a bad state that we have to put our hand out to these people? Ziffs money is tainted and so is the wsl…….
teachers get paid fuck all in the states. as if they care..kid go’s to school or doesn’t, i can’t see low paid teachers really care when they are treated so bad.
all they seem to teach kids in the US of A is presidents names from years gone by an very little life/world skills that will help them in the long run.. don’t blame the teachers blame the curriculum an lack of teacher support.. its amazing how sheltered/misinformed americans are when it comes to whats really going on.
This article wreaks of sour cranberries!
It’s easier to run down the kids when they’re wondering on the highway. They’re less aware than when they’re wandering.
He’s a challenge for ya. Collect 30 kids from the local skatepark. Shut them up in an enclosed space for two hours and teach them all you know about surfing for two hours. Let ’em outside for 20 minutes, but keep an eye on them so they don’t get hurt or hit each other, then go for another two hours of your wisdom. Same deal for lunch, the two hours again in the afternoon. All on a stinkin hot day, no a/c. Now try doing it with something that actually matters. In a system where there are not enough resources, reward for effort or support from either parents or administration.
Don’t get me started on the postal system…
Lost in the discussion is that, on average, Hawaii has a very generous welfare system. My one good friend who still works there says he’d make more money on welfare. But, fortunately for the state of Hawaii he actually works. I also think part of his motivation is that he’d be afraid to end up in subsidized housing with a bunch of Mokes. They scare him!
EBT eat better today/everybodies taxes, spend it wisely if you can get it
listen to people moan about people renting rooms an what not every winter season ( 3/4’s of them mainland transplants who whine louder than most)
half of the nth shore crew wouldn’t be still living there if they weren’t renting rooms out to people over the winter to help cover their rent. it also gives me somewhere to sleep 😀
another year another whinge..
with a tourism based economy, losing hotel taxes is only going to be bad for people that don’t own NS houses to rent out
besides turtle bay there’s fuck all hotels up on the northshore.
so the homestay scene is a pretty good option for those there to surf. one week at turtle bay costs more than a 2 month stay.. im happy helping people i know out with cash to rent off them rather than give a mopre than likely foreign owned hotel..
plenty people renting there that are sub leasing rooms to help them out. but yeah you have a point.
its not AirBnB’s fault that one of the results of the global economy is that anywhere in the world that’s pretty is now owned by people that made their money elsewhere. it just helps them be able to make the mortgage payments on a house we could never afford put a down payment on. fuck, Zuckerkook owns like half of Princeville now.
Sunny Garcia is not giving surfing lessons, he’s giving free* accountancy lessons!
*nominal fee
Be great to see Speaker front in Hawaii, dancing merrily around the events handing out roses – then get shirt fronted by maybe Eddie Rothman for dudding the local community out of potential revenue!!!