BILL REQ. #:  S-4405.1 

Read first time 01/21/08.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     AN ACT Relating to extending the tax incentives provided for qualified research and development to persons performing both phase I and II clinical trials; amending RCW 82.04.4452 and 82.63.010; and creating a new section.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.04.4452 and 2005 c 514 s 1003 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In computing the tax imposed under this chapter, a credit is allowed for each person whose research and development spending during the year in which the credit is claimed exceeds 0.92 percent of the person's taxable amount during the same calendar year.
     (2) The credit shall be calculated as follows:
     (a) Determine the greater of the amount of qualified research and development expenditures of a person or eighty percent of amounts received by a person other than a public educational or research institution in compensation for the conduct of qualified research and development;
     (b) Subtract 0.92 percent of the person's taxable amount from the amount determined under (a) of this subsection;
     (c) Multiply the amount determined under (b) of this subsection by the following:
     (i) For the period June 10, 2004, through December 31, 2006, the person's average tax rate for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed;
     (ii) For the calendar year ending December 31, 2007, the greater of the person's average tax rate for that calendar year or 0.75 percent;
     (iii) For the calendar year ending December 31, 2008, the greater of the person's average tax rate for that calendar year or 1.0 percent;
     (iv) For the calendar year ending December 31, 2009, the greater of the person's average tax rate for that calendar year or 1.25 percent;
     (v) For the calendar year ending December 31, 2010, and thereafter, 1.50 percent.
     For purposes of calculating the credit, if a person's reporting period is less than annual, the person may use an estimated average tax rate for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed by using the person's average tax rate for each reporting period. A person who uses an estimated average tax rate must make an adjustment to the total credit claimed for the calendar year using the person's actual average tax rate for the calendar year when the person files its last return for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed.
     (3) Any person entitled to the credit provided in subsection (2) of this section as a result of qualified research and development conducted under contract may assign all or any portion of the credit to the person contracting for the performance of the qualified research and development.
     (4) The credit, including any credit assigned to a person under subsection (3) of this section, shall be claimed against taxes due for the same calendar year in which the qualified research and development expenditures are incurred. The credit, including any credit assigned to a person under subsection (3) of this section, for each calendar year shall not exceed the lesser of two million dollars or the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter for the calendar year.
     (5) For any person claiming the credit, including any credit assigned to a person under subsection (3) of this section, whose research and development spending during the calendar year in which the credit is claimed fails to exceed 0.92 percent of the person's taxable amount during the same calendar year or who is otherwise ineligible, the department shall declare the taxes against which the credit was claimed to be immediately due and payable. The department shall assess interest, but not penalties, on the taxes against which the credit was claimed. Interest shall be assessed at the rate provided for delinquent excise taxes under chapter 82.32 RCW, retroactively to the date the credit was claimed, and shall accrue until the taxes against which the credit was claimed are repaid. Any credit assigned to a person under subsection (3) of this section that is disallowed as a result of this section may be claimed by the person who performed the qualified research and development subject to the limitations set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (6)(a) The legislature finds that accountability and effectiveness are important aspects of setting tax policy. In order to make policy choices regarding the best use of limited state resources the legislature needs information on how a tax incentive is used.
     (b) A person claiming the credit shall file a complete annual survey with the department. The survey is due by March 31st following any year in which a credit is claimed. The department may extend the due date for timely filing of annual surveys under this section as provided in RCW 82.32.590. The survey shall include the amount of the tax credit claimed, the qualified research and development expenditures during the calendar year for which the credit is claimed, the taxable amount during the calendar year for which the credit is claimed, the number of new products or research projects by general classification, the number of trademarks, patents, and copyrights associated with the research and development activities for which a credit was claimed, and whether the credit has been assigned under subsection (3) of this section and who assigned the credit. The survey shall also include the following information for employment positions in Washington:
     (i) The number of total employment positions;
     (ii) Full-time, part-time, and temporary employment positions as a percent of total employment;
     (iii) The number of employment positions according to the following wage bands: Less than thirty thousand dollars; thirty thousand dollars or greater, but less than sixty thousand dollars; and sixty thousand dollars or greater. A wage band containing fewer than three individuals may be combined with another wage band; and
     (iv) The number of employment positions that have employer-provided medical, dental, and retirement benefits, by each of the wage bands.
     (c) The department may request additional information necessary to measure the results of the tax credit program, to be submitted at the same time as the survey.
     (d)(i) All information collected under this subsection, except the amount of the tax credit claimed, is deemed taxpayer information under RCW 82.32.330. Information on the amount of tax credit claimed is not subject to the confidentiality provisions of RCW 82.32.330 and may be disclosed to the public upon request, except as provided in this subsection (6)(d). If the amount of the tax credit as reported on the survey is different than the amount actually claimed on the taxpayer's tax returns or otherwise allowed by the department, the amount actually claimed or allowed may be disclosed.
     (ii) Persons for whom the actual amount of the tax credit claimed on the taxpayer's returns or otherwise allowed by the department is less than ten thousand dollars during the period covered by the survey may request the department to treat the tax credit amount as confidential under RCW 82.32.330.
     (e) If a person fails to file a complete annual survey required under this subsection with the department by the due date or any extension under RCW 82.32.590, the person entitled to the credit provided in subsection (2) of this section is not eligible to claim or assign the credit provided in subsection (2) of this section in the year the person failed to timely file a complete survey.
     (7) The department shall use the information from subsection (6) of this section to prepare summary descriptive statistics by category. No fewer than three taxpayers shall be included in any category. The department shall report these statistics to the legislature each year by September 1st.
     (8) The department shall use the information from subsection (6) of this section to study the tax credit program authorized under this section. The department shall report to the legislature by December 1, 2009, and December 1, 2013. The reports shall measure the effect of the program on job creation, the number of jobs created for Washington residents, company growth, the introduction of new products, the diversification of the state's economy, growth in research and development investment, the movement of firms or the consolidation of firms' operations into the state, and such other factors as the department selects.
     (9) For the purpose of this section:
     (a) "Average tax rate" means a person's total tax liability under this chapter for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed divided by the taxpayer's total taxable amount under this chapter for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed.
     (b)(i) "Qualified research and development expenditures" means operating expenses, including wages, compensation of a proprietor or a partner in a partnership as determined under rules adopted by the department, benefits, supplies, and computer expenses, directly incurred in qualified research and development by a person claiming the credit provided in this section, including amounts paid to a public educational or research institute or a person that specializes in phase I and II clinical trials as defined in RCW 82.63.010.
     (ii) The term does not include:
     (A) Amounts paid to a person to conduct qualified research and development, other than amounts paid to a public educational or research institution ((to conduct qualified research and development. Nor does the term include)) or a person that specializes in phase I and II clinical trials as defined in RCW 82.63.010;
     (B) Amounts received by a person that specializes in phase I and II clinical trials as defined in RCW 82.63.010 from a person eligible for the credit provided by this section in respect to such amounts;
     (C) Capital costs and overhead, such as expenses for land, structures, or depreciable property.
     (iii) For purposes of this subsection (9), a person specializes in phase I and II clinical trials if the person is an independent research facility that derives a majority of its gross income subject to tax under this chapter from conducting phase I and II clinical trials.
     (c) "Qualified research and development" shall have the same meaning as in RCW 82.63.010.
     (d) "Research and development spending" means qualified research and development expenditures plus eighty percent of amounts paid to a person other than a public educational or research institution or a person that specializes in phase I and II clinical trials as defined in RCW 82.63.010, to conduct qualified research and development.
     (e) "Taxable amount" means the taxable amount subject to the tax imposed in this chapter required to be reported on the person's combined excise tax returns for the calendar year for which the credit is claimed, less any taxable amount for which a credit is allowed under RCW 82.04.440.
     (10) This section expires January 1, 2015.

Sec. 2   RCW 82.63.010 and 2004 c 2 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
     (1) "Advanced computing" means technologies used in the designing and developing of computing hardware and software, including innovations in designing the full spectrum of hardware from hand-held calculators to super computers, and peripheral equipment.
     (2) "Advanced materials" means materials with engineered properties created through the development of specialized processing and synthesis technology, including ceramics, high value-added metals, electronic materials, composites, polymers, and biomaterials.
     (3) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (4)(a) "Biotechnology" means the application of technologies, such as recombinant DNA techniques, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics and genetic engineering, cell fusion techniques, and new bioprocesses, using living organisms, or parts of organisms, to produce or modify products, to improve plants or animals, to develop microorganisms for specific uses, to identify targets for small molecule pharmaceutical development, or to transform biological systems into useful processes and products or to develop microorganisms for specific uses.
     (b) The term also includes the conducting of studies of investigational new drugs in humans required by a governmental entity, such as the United States food and drug administration, before an investigational new drug can be licensed and marketed for human use.
     (5) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (6) "Electronic device technology" means technologies involving microelectronics; semiconductors; electronic equipment and instrumentation; radio frequency, microwave, and millimeter electronics; optical and optic-electrical devices; and data and digital communications and imaging devices.
     (7) "Eligible investment project" means an investment project which either initiates a new operation, or expands or diversifies a current operation by expanding, renovating, or equipping an existing facility. The lessor or owner of the qualified building is not eligible for a deferral unless:
     (a) The underlying ownership of the buildings, machinery, and equipment vests exclusively in the same person; or
     (b)(i) The lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee;
     (ii) The lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey required under RCW 82.63.020(2); and
     (iii) The economic benefit of the deferral passed to the lessee is no less than the amount of tax deferred by the lessor and is evidenced by written documentation of any type of payment, credit, or other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (8) "Environmental technology" means assessment and prevention of threats or damage to human health or the environment, environmental cleanup, and the development of alternative energy sources.
     (9) "Investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction or improvement of the project.
     (10) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030 and includes state universities as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.
     (11) "Pilot scale manufacturing" means design, construction, and testing of preproduction prototypes and models in the fields of biotechnology, advanced computing, electronic device technology, advanced materials, and environmental technology other than for commercial sale. As used in this subsection, "commercial sale" excludes sales of prototypes or sales for market testing if the total gross receipts from such sales of the product, service, or process do not exceed one million dollars.
     (12) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures, and expansion or renovation of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development, including plant offices and other facilities that are an essential or an integral part of a structure used for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development. If a building is used partly for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development, and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral shall be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.
     (13) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment, instrumentation, and other devices used in a process of experimentation to develop a new or improved pilot model, plant process, product, formula, invention, or similar property; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; vats, tanks, and fermenters; operating structures; and all other equipment used to control, monitor, or operate the machinery. For purposes of this chapter, qualified machinery and equipment must be either new to the taxing jurisdiction of the state or new to the certificate holder, except that used machinery and equipment may be treated as qualified machinery and equipment if the certificate holder either brings the machinery and equipment into Washington or makes a retail purchase of the machinery and equipment in Washington or elsewhere.
     (14) "Qualified research and development" means research and development performed within this state in the fields of advanced computing, advanced materials, biotechnology, electronic device technology, and environmental technology.
     (15) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (16)(a) "Research and development" means activities performed to discover technological information, and technical and nonroutine activities concerned with translating technological information into new or improved products, processes, techniques, formulas, inventions, or software. The term includes exploration of a new use for an existing drug, device, or biological product if the new use requires separate licensing by the federal food and drug administration under chapter 21, C.F.R., as amended. The term also includes the conducting of phase I or II clinical trials to determine whether investigational new drugs for use in humans are safe and effective when conducted by a person that specializes in phase I and II clinical trials. For purposes of this subsection (16), a person specializes in phase I and II clinical trials if the person is an independent research facility that derives a majority of its gross income subject to tax under chapter 82.04 RCW from conducting phase I and II clinical trials. The term does not include adaptation or duplication of existing products where the products are not substantially improved by application of the technology((, nor does)). The term also does not include surveys ((and)); studies, other than phase I and II clinical trials; social science and humanities research((,)); market research or testing((,)); quality control((,)); sale promotion and service((,)); computer software developed for internal use((,)); and research in areas such as improved style, taste, and seasonal design.
     (b) For purposes of this subsection, the following definitions apply:
     (i) "Phase I clinical trial" means initial studies in patients or healthy volunteer subjects to determine the metabolism and pharmacologic actions of drugs in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness.
     (ii) "Phase II clinical trial" means controlled clinical studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug for a particular indication or indications in patients with the disease or condition under study and to determine the common short-term side effects and risks.
     (17)(a) "Initiation of construction" means the date that a building permit is issued under the building code adopted under RCW 19.27.031 for:
     (i) Construction of the qualified building, if the underlying ownership of the building vests exclusively with the person receiving the economic benefit of the deferral;
     (ii) Construction of the qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (7) of this section; or
     (iii) Tenant improvements for a qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (7) of this section.
     (b) "Initiation of construction" does not include soil testing, site clearing and grading, site preparation, or any other related activities that are initiated before the issuance of a building permit for the construction of the foundation of the building.
     (c) If the investment project is a phased project, "initiation of construction" shall apply separately to each phase.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   For purposes of RCW 82.04.4452, this act applies with respect to research and development spending and qualified research and development expenditures incurred on or after January 1, 2008.