H-0872.1

HOUSE BILL 1533

ByRepresentatives Robertson, Wicks, Shewmake, Sutherland, and Eslick

AN ACT Relating to spirits taxes; amending RCW 82.08.150 and 82.08.160; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 82.08.150 and 2012 c 2 s 106 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) There is levied and collected a tax upon each retail sale of spirits in the original package at the rate of fifteen percent of the selling price.

(2) There is levied and collected a tax upon each sale of spirits in the original package at the rate of ten percent of the selling price on sales by a spirits distributor licensee or other licensee acting as a spirits distributor pursuant to Title 66 RCW to restaurant spirits retailers.

(3) ((There is levied and collected an additional tax upon each sale of spirits in the original package by a spirits distributor licensee or other licensee acting as a spirits distributor pursuant to Title 66 RCW to a restaurant spirits retailer and upon each retail sale of spirits in the original package by a licensee of the board at the rate of one dollar and seventy-two cents per liter.

(4))) An additional tax is imposed equal to fourteen percent multiplied by the taxes payable under subsections (1)((, (2), and (3)))and (2) of this section.

(((5) An additional tax is imposed upon each sale of spirits in the original package by a spirits distributor licensee or other licensee acting as a spirits distributor pursuant to Title 66 RCW to a restaurant spirits retailer and upon each retail sale of spirits in the original package by a licensee of the board at the rate of seven cents per liter. All revenues collected during any month from this additional tax must be deposited in the state general fund by the twenty-fifth day of the following month.

(6)))(4)(a) An additional tax is imposed upon retail sale of spirits in the original package at the rate of three and four-tenths percent of the selling price.

(b) An additional tax is imposed upon retail sale of spirits in the original package to a restaurant spirits retailer at the rate of two and three-tenths percent of the selling price.

(c) ((An additional tax is imposed upon each sale of spirits in the original package by a spirits distributor licensee or other licensee acting as a spirits distributor pursuant to Title 66 RCW to a restaurant spirits retailer and upon each retail sale of spirits in the original package by a licensee of the board at the rate of forty-one cents per liter.

(d))) All revenues collected during any month from additional taxes under this subsection must be deposited in the state general fund by the twenty-fifth day of the following month.

(((7)(a) An additional tax is imposed upon each retail sale of spirits in the original package at the rate of one dollar and thirty-three cents per liter.

(8)))(5) The tax imposed in RCW 82.08.020 does not apply to sales of spirits in the original package.

(((9)))(6) The taxes imposed in this section must be paid by the buyer to the seller, and each seller must collect from the buyer the full amount of the tax payable in respect to each taxable sale under this section. The taxes required by this section to be collected by the seller must be stated separately from the selling price, and for purposes of determining the tax due from the buyer to the seller, it is conclusively presumed that the selling price quoted in any price list does not include the taxes imposed by this section. Sellers must report and return all taxes imposed in this section in accordance with rules adopted by the department.

(((10)))(7) As used in this section, the terms, "spirits" and "package" have the same meaning as provided in chapter 66.04 RCW.

Sec. 2. RCW 82.08.160 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 4 s 975 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) On or before the twenty-fifth day of each month, all taxes collected under RCW 82.08.150 during the preceding month must be remitted to the state department of revenue, to be deposited with the state treasurer. Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this section, upon receipt of such moneys the state treasurer must credit sixty-five percent of the sums collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) and one hundred percent of the sums collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150(3) ((and (4))) to the state general fund and thirty-five percent of the sums collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) to a fund which is hereby created to be known as the "liquor excise tax fund."

(2) During the 2012 fiscal year, 66.19 percent of the sums collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) must be deposited in the state general fund and the remainder collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) must be deposited in the liquor excise tax fund.

(3) During fiscal year 2013, all funds collected under RCW 82.08.150 (1), (2), and (3)((, and (4))) must be deposited into the state general fund.

(4) During the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium, seventy-seven and one-half percent of the sums collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) must be deposited in the state general fund, and the remainder collected and remitted under RCW 82.08.150 (1) and (2) must be deposited in the liquor excise tax fund. The amendments in this section are curative, clarifying, and remedial and apply retroactively to July 1, 2013.

(5) During the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium, the liquor excise tax fund may be appropriated for the local government fiscal note program in the department of commerce. It is the intent of the legislature to continue these policies in the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium.

--- END ---