Hawaii’s New Cruise Passenger Tax Draws Fire From Maritime Legal Expert Peter Walsh in Bloomberg Law Op-Ed
In a newly published op-ed in Bloomberg Law, veteran maritime attorney Peter Walsh of The Cruise Injury Law Firm challenges the legality of Hawaii’s new 11% transient accommodations tax on cruise passengers.
The full article, titled “Hawaii’s New Cruise Tax Enters Uncharted Legal Waters,” is available in today’s Bloomberg Law.
In the piece, Walsh argues that the new tax—which applies to passengers aboard cruise ships docked in Hawaiian ports—treads dangerously close to violating the Commerce Clause, the Foreign Commerce Clause, and principles of federal maritime preemption. He warns the measure could spark a cascade of lawsuits and, if upheld, set a precedent that reverberates through every coastal state with a cruise port.
