Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has sued the state of Hawaii, claiming a new 11% tax on cruise ships violates US Constitution and Federal Law.
It also claims that Hawaii is violating the First Amendment right to freedom of speech by requiring cruise ships to “engage in extensive speech about the state’s new fee regime, posting notices about compliance on every cruise ship and including similar information in every advertisement they run for Hawaii-bound cruises”.
Hawaii’s Act 96 imposes an 11% surcharge on the gross fares paid by cruise ship passengers from January 2026. The law also allows counties to add an additional 3% surcharge.
