{"id":221918,"date":"2025-09-15T12:37:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T22:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=221918"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T22:42:25","slug":"leeward-cc-dept-of-taxation-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/15\/leeward-cc-dept-of-taxation-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax pros pack workshop put on by Leeward CC<\/abbr> and Department of Taxation"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"2025
280 tax practitioners registered for the workshop to get the latest updates for tax year 2025, so they can better serve and guide taxpayers across the state.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The annual Tax Workshop, hosted by the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Department of Taxation (DOTAX<\/abbr>) in partnership with Leeward Community College\u2019s Office of Workforce Development (OWD<\/abbr>), drew a full house on September 4, with 280 tax practitioners joining both in person at the Ala Moana Hotel and online. The event plays a vital role in preparing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s tax professionals with the latest updates to state tax laws and processes.<\/p>\n

\"2025
Leeward CC\u2019s Office of Workforce Development partnered with the Department of Taxation to organize the 2025 DOTAX Workshop at the Ala Moana Hotel.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“These workshops ensure practitioners have the information they need to better serve taxpayers across the state,” said Gary Yamashiroya, special assistant to the director of DOTAX<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

For longtime attendee Hank Erwin, owner of Hank\u2019s Tax Service in Honolulu, these workshops are a lifeline in a complex and ever-changing field.<\/p>\n

“Tax practitioners need to stay up to date on what\u2019s new at the state level, not just federal,” he said. “This workshop is where we get answers directly from the Department of Taxation.”<\/p>\n

OWD<\/abbr> handled all logistics—from registration and venue setup to technology and day-of coordination—allowing DOTAX<\/abbr> to focus entirely on delivering valuable content.<\/p>\n

‘Incredible resource’<\/h2>\n
\"Gary
DOTAX Director Gary Suganuma welcomed 280 tax practitioners to the 2025 DOTAX Workshop.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Working with Leeward CC<\/abbr> has been seamless—everything is handled professionally, communication is excellent, and the venues are always top-notch. I hope other departments take advantage of this incredible resource,” added Yamashiroya.<\/p>\n

The annual workshop is hosted statewide, with sessions held on Oʻahu<\/span>, Maui, Kauaʻi<\/span> and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island through partnerships with other UH<\/abbr> Community College campuses. Managing a multi-island workshop means making sure the experience stays smooth and efficient for everyone.<\/p>\n

“We want to make it as easy as possible for the Department of Taxation and participants,” said Will Castillo, Leeward CC<\/abbr>\u2019s senior workforce development coordinator.<\/p>\n

\"Leeward\u2019s
Will Castillo (top left), Leeward\u2019s senior workforce coordinator, and his team handled event logistics for the 2025 DOTAX Workshop.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Our goal is to ensure every attendee has a stress-free, positive experience—whether it\u2019s their first time participating or they\u2019re registering a whole office.”<\/p>\n

Whether planning small meetings or large-scale conferences, OWD<\/abbr> offers expertise, statewide reach and professional support to make every event a success. Organizations interested in using these conference and event services can connect with the OWD<\/abbr> team at workdev@hawaii.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

—By Devon Bedoya<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hawai\u02bbi Department of Taxation and Leeward CC<\/abbr> hosted the annual Tax Workshop on September 4, drawing 280 participants for state tax updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[65,71,603],"class_list":["post-221918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-workforce-development","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221918"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221974,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221918\/revisions\/221974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}