S-4260.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6630

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Prentice, Hale, Rasmussen, Wood, Haugen, Swecker, McAuliffe, McDonald, Sheldon, Newhouse, Sutherland, Deccio, Bauer, Goings, Hargrove, Johnson, Heavey, Sellar, Loveland, West, Snyder, Fraser, A. Anderson, Winsley, Hochstatter, Schow and Roach

Read first time 01/19/96.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Deleting a future increase in beer taxes allocable to the health services account.

    AN ACT Relating to deleting a future increase in beer taxes allocable to the health services account; and amending RCW 66.24.290.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 66.24.290 and 1995 c 232 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Any brewer or beer wholesaler licensed under this title may sell and deliver beer to holders of authorized licenses direct, but to no other person, other than the board; and every such brewer or beer wholesaler shall report all sales to the board monthly, pursuant to the regulations, and shall pay to the board as an added tax for the privilege of manufacturing and selling the beer within the state a tax of two dollars and sixty cents per barrel of thirty-one gallons on sales to licensees within the state and on sales to licensees within the state of bottled and canned beer shall pay a tax computed in gallons at the rate of two dollars and sixty cents per barrel of thirty-one gallons.  Any brewer or beer wholesaler whose applicable tax payment is not postmarked by the twentieth day following the month of sale will be assessed a penalty at the rate of two percent per month or fraction thereof.  Beer shall be sold by brewers and wholesalers in sealed barrels or packages. 

    (2) An additional tax is imposed equal to seven percent multiplied by the tax payable under subsection (1) of this section.  All revenues collected during any month from this additional tax shall be transferred to the state general fund by the twenty-fifth day of the following month.

    (3) An additional tax is imposed on all beer subject to tax under subsection (1) of this section.  The additional tax is equal to two dollars per barrel of thirty-one gallons.  All revenues collected during any month from this additional tax shall be deposited in the violence reduction and drug enforcement account under RCW 69.50.520 by the twenty-fifth day of the following month.

    (4)(a) An additional tax is imposed on all beer subject to tax under subsection (1) of this section.  The additional tax is equal to ninety-six cents per barrel of thirty-one gallons through June 30, 1995, and two dollars and thirty-nine cents per barrel of thirty-one gallons ((for the period July 1, 1995, through June 30, 1997, and four dollars and seventy-eight cents per barrel of thirty-one gallons)) thereafter.

    (b) The additional tax imposed under this subsection does not apply to the sale of the first sixty thousand barrels of beer each year by breweries that are entitled to a reduced rate of tax under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 5051, as existing on July 1, 1993, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the board by rule consistent with the purposes of this exemption.

    (c) All revenues collected from the additional tax imposed under this subsection (4) shall be deposited in the health services account under RCW 43.72.900.

    (5) The tax imposed under this section shall not apply to "strong beer" as defined in this title.

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