- The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and local businesses sued Hawaii, claiming the state’s “green fee” violates federal maritime laws, including the Tonnage Clause and Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1884, which bar states from taxing vessels in navigable waters.
- The lawsuit also challenges a provision forcing cruise lines to advertise the tax in promotional materials, calling it unconstitutional compelled speech.
- CLIA warns the tax could add hundreds of dollars to cruise fares, deterring tourists and threatening thousands of jobs in Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy.
- Hawaii’s new “climate impact fee” hikes tourist taxes from 10.25 percent to 11 percent, with counties adding up to three percent more – potentially reaching 14 percent. Officials justify it as funding eco-projects, but critics call it a “money grab” for bureaucrats and insiders, not real environmental solutions.
- Similar disputes have occurred in Alaska, Greece and Mexico, where courts ruled against excessive tourist taxes unless they directly fund services provided to ships. A hearing on the injunction request is scheduled for Oct. 31, with cruise lines already reporting impacts on 2026 bookings.
The cruise line industry has taken Hawaii to court over the Aloha State’s “green fee” – a levy on hotels, short-term rentals and cruise ships that would be used to fund climate resilience projects.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), joined by local businesses reliant on cruise tourism, filed suit in Honolulu on Aug. 27. The complaint alleged that the tax violates the Constitution’s Tonnage Clause and the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1884, which restrict states from imposing fees on vessels using navigable waters. It also challenged provisions forcing cruise lines to advertise the tax in promotional materials, calling it a violation of free speech.
CLIA contends that no other state has attempted such a levy and warns that the additional costs – potentially adding hundreds of dollars to cruise fares – will deter visitors, harming local businesses and jeopardizing thousands of jobs. “Extending the TAT [transient accommodation tax] to cruise passengers threatens to deter visitors whose spending fuels this economic engine, risking job losses and eroding the financial stability of businesses dependent on tourism,” the association stated.
The green fee, signed by Democratic Gov. Josh Green in May, hikes the Aloha State’s TAT from 10.25 percent to 11 percent. Counties are authorized to add an additional three percent surcharge, potentially pushing the total levy to 14 percent for cruise passengers.
Officials claim the tax will generate $100 million annually for environmental initiatives including beach restoration, invasive species control and wildfire mitigation. Meanwhile, critics question whether the funds will truly benefit environmental restoration or simply funnel money into bureaucratic programs and politically connected contractors. (Related: Climate cult in Hawaii to charge all tourists Ponzi scheme “green fee” to EMBEZZLE $100M yearly for fake “climate change” projects.)
According to Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch engine, the green fee “is a thinly veiled money grab disguised as environmental protection, exploiting climate panic to extract revenue from tourists while doing little to address real ecological concerns. This policy follows the globalist playbook of using environmentalism as a pretext for control and profit, prioritizing financial gain over genuine stewardship.”
Hawaii’s “climate resilience” fee: Another globalist money grab?
The tax’s defenders, including hotel industry leaders who initially resisted the measure, argue the fee is necessary to preserve Hawaii’s natural beauty – its primary draw for tourists. “We need the money to restore those beaches, to reconstruct them [and] to take care of invasive plants,” said Hawaii Hotel Alliance President Jerry Gibson.
This legal battle echoes past clashes between the cruise industry and governments seeking to monetize tourism for environmental or infrastructural projects. In 2016, CLIA successfully challenged Alaska’s cruise passenger head tax, with courts ruling such fees must directly fund services provided to ships. Similar disputes have arisen in Greece and Mexico, where steep tourist taxes faced industry backlash before compromises were reached.
Hawaii officials, including the state attorney general’s office, have declined to comment pending review of the lawsuit. A hearing on the industry’s request for an injunction is set for Oct. 31, with cruise lines warning that advance bookings for 2026 are already being affected.
Head over to GreenTyranny.news for more similar stories.
Watch Hawaii Gov. Josh Green pointing out that “climate change” is here, and it allegedly made the Lahaina wildfires worse.
This video is from the Liberty Press channel on Brighteon.com.
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Climate United Fund: A $7 billion boondoggle exposing the rot in climate spending.
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Sources include:
ClimateDepot.com
FoxNews.com
MarineInsight.com
CivilBeat.org
Brighteon.ai
Brighteon.com
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