Question: Can I get a refund or a partial refund for all the years I paid full property tax because I didn’t know about the homeowner’s exemption you wrote about (808ne.ws/kline14)?
Answer: No, the city does not refund taxes to property owners who failed to claim exemptions to which they were entitled.
“The taxpayer should have filed a home exemption claim as soon as it was discovered that there was no home exemption in place for the property. The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu do not provide for tax refunds for home exemptions that are not filed,” the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ Real Property Assessment Division states on its website.
The home exemption deducts either $80,000 or $120,000 (depending on the property owner’s age) from the assessed value of the Oahu home in which the owner resides. The homeowner is then taxed on the balance.
Q: Can you renew a learner’s permit? My teen is not ready for the road test.
A: Yes. “The permit may be renewed for another one-year period no sooner than 30 days before the expiration date of the permit and no later than 90 days after the expiration date of the permit,” according to the city Department of Customer Services’ website. “Failure to renew the instructional permit within 30 days after the expiration date will result in waiting 180 days before being eligible for a road test.”
Auwe
Something must be done to prevent vehicles headed mauka and turning left from Punchbowl Street onto Vineyard Boulevard from blocking the center through lane. There are two through lanes and one left turn lane on Punchbowl headed mauka at the Vineyard intersection. However, there is only space for the two through lanes as one crosses Vineyard. Some vehicles waiting to turn left from Punchbowl onto Vineyard pull halfway into the intersection and then stop while waiting to turn left. This blocks the center through lane on Punchbowl. I have encountered this at least three times recently. The center through lane was completely stopped until the vehicle in the left turn lane made its turn onto Vineyard. On other occasions, vehicles in the center lane proceeded forward around the stopped vehicle and encroached into the right through lane, causing vehicles in that lane to veer to the right to avoid a collision. This is a dangerous situation. There are no lane markers in the intersection, so drivers often cannot tell that they are encroaching in another lane. — Concerned driver
Mahalo
I want to thank “Lucky,” an off-duty driver for TheBus, who, without hesitation, helped (actually, did most of the work) in changing my tire on a pre-dawn Sunday morning. I hit a giant pothole on King Street which resulted in a blown tire and bent rim. I hobbled into the Market City parking lot, and Lucky immediately offered to help. This wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed because of the spare tire being hidden below the undercarriage. Another driver also offered to help, as did my surf buddy, Gary. The aloha spirit appears to be alive and well. Mahalo to all. — JMR
Mahalo
Regarding a Mahalo published Monday (808ne.ws/107kline), I was so pleased to learn that the owner was reunited with her purse. My son, on break from the University of Oregon, was paying his respects to his great-grandmother when we discovered the purse at Nuuanu Memorial Park. My wife and I teach our son and daughter to be honest citizens and to follow the Golden Rule. So, when we turned the purse in to the office, we hoped that the owner would call. What a blessing to know that she did! — Grateful dad
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
