BILL REQ. #:  H-2391.5 

Read first time 03/26/2003.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to sales and use tax equalization payments; amending RCW 82.14.046; and providing a contingent effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 82.14.046 and 1998 c 321 s 37 are each amended to read as follows:
     Beginning ((with distributions made to municipalities under RCW 82.44.150 on)) January 1, ((1996)) 2004, until December 31, 2013, municipalities as defined in RCW 35.58.272 imposing local transit taxes, which for purposes of this section include the sales and use tax under RCW 82.14.045, the business and occupation tax under RCW 35.95.040, and excise taxes under RCW 35.95.040, shall be eligible for quarterly sales and use tax equalization payments from ((motor vehicle excise taxes distributed under RCW 82.44.150)) the multimodal transportation account as follows:
     (1) Prior to January 1st of each year the department of revenue shall determine the total and the per capita levels of revenues for each municipality imposing local transit taxes and the statewide weighted average per capita level of sales and use tax revenues imposed under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW for the previous calendar year calculated for a sales and use tax rate of one-tenth percent. For purposes of this section, the department of revenue shall determine a local transit tax rate for each municipality for the previous calendar year. The tax rate shall be equivalent to the sales and use tax rate for the municipality that would have generated an amount of revenue equal to the amount of local transit taxes collected by the municipality.
     (2) For each tenth of one percent of the local transit tax rate, the state treasurer shall apportion to each municipality receiving less than eighty percent of the statewide weighted average per capita level of sales and use tax revenues imposed under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW as determined by the department of revenue under subsection (1) of this section, an amount when added to the per capita level of revenues received the previous calendar year by the municipality, to equal eighty percent of the statewide weighted average per capita level of revenues determined under subsection (1) of this section. In no event may the sales and use tax equalization distribution to a municipality in a single calendar year exceed: (a) Fifty percent of the amount of local transit taxes collected during the prior calendar year; or (b) the maximum amount of revenue that could have been collected at a local transit tax rate of three-tenths percent in the prior calendar year.
     (3) For a municipality established after January 1, 1995, sales and use tax equalization distributions shall be made according to the procedures in this subsection. Sales and use tax equalization distributions to eligible new municipalities shall be made at the same time as distributions are made under subsection (2) of this section. The department of revenue shall follow the estimating procedures outlined in this subsection until the new municipality has received a full year's worth of local transit tax revenues as of the January sales and use tax equalization distribution.
     (a) Whether a newly established municipality determined to receive funds under this subsection receives its first equalization payment at the January, April, July, or October sales and use tax equalization distribution shall depend on the date the system first imposes local transit taxes.
     (i) A newly established municipality imposing local transit taxes taking effect during the first calendar quarter shall be eligible to receive funds under this subsection beginning with the July sales and use tax equalization distribution of that year.
     (ii) A newly established municipality imposing local transit taxes taking effect during the second calendar quarter shall be eligible to receive funds under this subsection beginning with the October sales and use tax equalization distribution of that year.
     (iii) A newly established municipality imposing local transit taxes taking effect during the third calendar quarter shall be eligible to receive funds under this subsection beginning with the January sales and use tax equalization distribution of the next year.
     (iv) A newly established municipality imposing local transit taxes taking effect during the fourth calendar quarter shall be eligible to receive funds under this subsection beginning with the April sales and use tax equalization distribution of the next year.
     (b) For purposes of calculating the amount of funds the new municipality should receive under this subsection, the department of revenue shall:
     (i) Estimate the per capita amount of revenues from local transit taxes that the new municipality would have received had the municipality received revenues from the tax the entire calendar year;
     (ii) Calculate the amount provided under subsection (2) of this section based on the per capita revenues determined under (b)(i) of this subsection;
     (iii) Prorate the amount determined under (b)(ii) of this subsection by the number of months the local transit taxes have been imposed.
     (c) The department of revenue shall advise the state treasurer of the amounts calculated under (b) of this subsection and the state treasurer shall distribute these amounts to the new municipality from ((the motor vehicle excise tax deposited into the transportation fund under RCW 82.44.110)) funds deposited into the multimodal transportation account.
     (4) If the amount of distributions are projected to exceed the amount provided by the legislature for this purpose, the amounts must be distributed in the following manner: (a) First, that amount necessary to equalize up to eighty percent of a local tax rate of 0.3 percent, or eighty percent of the amount necessary to equalize the local tax rate imposed by the municipality, whichever is less; and (b) second, that amount necessary to equalize up to eighty percent of the local tax rate imposed above 0.3 percent. In no event may the total amount of distribution exceed six million dollars in any calendar year. In no event may the amount of distribution to a municipality for (a) or (a) and (b) of this subsection exceed the amount determined under subsection (2) of this section. If the amount of funds provided are less than needed for (a) and (b) of this subsection, then the amount available must be prorated based on the share of each municipality's portion of the total amounts for which those municipalities would otherwise be eligible, first for (a) and then for (b) of this subsection;
     (5) A municipality whose governing body implements a tax change that reduces its local transit tax rate after January 1, 1994, may not receive distributions under this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   This act takes effect January 1, 2004, but only if legislation that provides additional revenues, excluding transfers, for the multimodal transportation account is in effect on that date.