A short break on property taxes

Given Oahu’s struggling economy, the city’s one-time-only offer for an interest-free deferral on property tax payment is likely to get a lot of takers. Business and residential taxpayers may now divvy the biannual payment due in August into four monthly payments, with the last one due in November.

The offer is a sensible move in that it buys taxpayers time to recover financially from coronavirus-related setbacks. However, because property taxes serve as the city’s largest source of revenue — needed to fund core services, ranging from firefighting to land management— Honolulu Hale cannot afford to delay the levy indefinitely.

Help for working parents welcomed

It was truly welcome news Thursday from Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell: A $25 million program to reimburse for household and childcare expenses has been launched. Working parents eager to return to jobs need child care to do so, and paying for that is a big part of the budget. And childcare centers will reopen shortly on Oahu.

Still, there’s the nonfinancial hurdle, too: How does anyone get a group of toddlers and preschoolers to socially distance?

These keiki find it hard to repress a hug.