SHB 1597 -
By Senator Tom
On page 109, after line 10, insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 318 The legislature reaffirms its intent that
the statutes authorizing the local taxation of brokered natural gas and
manufactured gas as provided by chapter 384, Laws of 1989 and RCW
82.12.010(5) result in the fair and equitable taxation of all natural
and manufactured gas users, from large industrial consumers to small
residential users, and it is the legislature's intent that the taxation
of such gas by local jurisdictions be at the place of consumption.
Sec. 319 RCW 82.12.010 and 2006 c 301 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
For the purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Purchase price" means the same as sales price as defined in
RCW 82.08.010.
(2)(a) "Value of the article used" shall be the purchase price for
the article of tangible personal property, the use of which is taxable
under this chapter. The term also includes, in addition to the
purchase price, the amount of any tariff or duty paid with respect to
the importation of the article used. In case the article used is
acquired by lease or by gift or is extracted, produced, or manufactured
by the person using the same or is sold under conditions wherein the
purchase price does not represent the true value thereof, the value of
the article used shall be determined as nearly as possible according to
the retail selling price at place of use of similar products of like
quality and character under such rules as the department may prescribe.
(b) In case the articles used are acquired by bailment, the value
of the use of the articles so used shall be in an amount representing
a reasonable rental for the use of the articles so bailed, determined
as nearly as possible according to the value of such use at the places
of use of similar products of like quality and character under such
rules as the department of revenue may prescribe. In case any such
articles of tangible personal property are used in respect to the
construction, repairing, decorating, or improving of, and which become
or are to become an ingredient or component of, new or existing
buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or
for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city
housing authority created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW, including the
installing or attaching of any such articles therein or thereto,
whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by
virtue of installation, then the value of the use of such articles so
used shall be determined according to the retail selling price of such
articles, or in the absence of such a selling price, as nearly as
possible according to the retail selling price at place of use of
similar products of like quality and character or, in the absence of
either of these selling price measures, such value may be determined
upon a cost basis, in any event under such rules as the department of
revenue may prescribe.
(c) In the case of articles owned by a user engaged in business
outside the state which are brought into the state for no more than one
hundred eighty days in any period of three hundred sixty-five
consecutive days and which are temporarily used for business purposes
by the person in this state, the value of the article used shall be an
amount representing a reasonable rental for the use of the articles,
unless the person has paid tax under this chapter or chapter 82.08 RCW
upon the full value of the article used, as defined in (a) of this
subsection.
(d) In the case of articles manufactured or produced by the user
and used in the manufacture or production of products sold or to be
sold to the department of defense of the United States, the value of
the articles used shall be determined according to the value of the
ingredients of such articles.
(e) In the case of an article manufactured or produced for purposes
of serving as a prototype for the development of a new or improved
product, the value of the article used shall be determined by: (i) The
retail selling price of such new or improved product when first offered
for sale; or (ii) the value of materials incorporated into the
prototype in cases in which the new or improved product is not offered
for sale.
(f) In the case of an article purchased with a direct pay permit
under RCW 82.32.087, the value of the article used shall be determined
by the purchase price of such article if, but for the use of the direct
pay permit, the transaction would have been subject to sales tax;
(3) "Value of the service used" means the purchase price for the
service, the use of which is taxable under this chapter. If the
service is received by gift or under conditions wherein the purchase
price does not represent the true value thereof, the value of the
service used shall be determined as nearly as possible according to the
retail selling price at place of use of similar services of like
quality and character under rules the department may prescribe;
(4) "Value of the extended warranty used" means the purchase price
for the extended warranty, the use of which is taxable under this
chapter. If the extended warranty is received by gift or under
conditions wherein the purchase price does not represent the true value
of the extended warranty, the value of the extended warranty used shall
be determined as nearly as possible according to the retail selling
price at place of use of similar extended warranties of like quality
and character under rules the department may prescribe;
(5) "Use," "used," "using," or "put to use" shall have their
ordinary meaning, and shall mean:
(a) With respect to tangible personal property, except for natural
gas and manufactured gas, the first act within this state by which the
taxpayer takes or assumes dominion or control over the article of
tangible personal property (as a consumer), and include installation,
storage, withdrawal from storage, distribution, or any other act
preparatory to subsequent actual use or consumption within this state;
(b) With respect to a service defined in RCW 82.04.050(2)(a), the
first act within this state after the service has been performed by
which the taxpayer takes or assumes dominion or control over the
article of tangible personal property upon which the service was
performed (as a consumer), and includes installation, storage,
withdrawal from storage, distribution, or any other act preparatory to
subsequent actual use or consumption of the article within this state;
((and))
(c) With respect to an extended warranty, the first act within this
state after the extended warranty has been acquired by which the
taxpayer takes or assumes dominion or control over the article of
tangible personal property to which the extended warranty applies, and
includes installation, storage, withdrawal from storage, distribution,
or any other act preparatory to subsequent actual use or consumption of
the article within this state; and
(d) With respect to natural gas or manufactured gas, the use of
which is taxable under RCW 82.12.022, including gas that is also
taxable under the authority of RCW 82.14.230, the first act within this
state by which the taxpayer consumes the gas by burning the gas or
storing the gas in the taxpayer's own facilities for later consumption
by the taxpayer;
(6) "Taxpayer" and "purchaser" include all persons included within
the meaning of the word "buyer" and the word "consumer" as defined in
chapters 82.04 and 82.08 RCW;
(7)(a)(i) Except as provided in (a)(ii) of this subsection (7),
"retailer" means every seller as defined in RCW 82.08.010 and every
person engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at
retail and every person required to collect from purchasers the tax
imposed under this chapter.
(ii) "Retailer" does not include a professional employer
organization when a covered employee coemployed with the client under
the terms of a professional employer agreement engages in activities
that constitute a sale of tangible personal property, extended
warranty, or a sale of any service defined as a retail sale in RCW
82.04.050 (2)(a) or (3)(a) that is subject to the tax imposed by this
chapter. In such cases, the client, and not the professional employer
organization, is deemed to be the retailer and is responsible for
collecting and remitting the tax imposed by this chapter.
(b) For the purposes of (a) of this subsection, the terms "client,"
"covered employee," "professional employer agreement," and
"professional employer organization" have the same meanings as in RCW
82.04.540;
(8) "Extended warranty" has the same meaning as in RCW
82.04.050(7);
(9) The meaning ascribed to words and phrases in chapters 82.04 and
82.08 RCW, insofar as applicable, shall have full force and effect with
respect to taxes imposed under the provisions of this chapter.
"Consumer," in addition to the meaning ascribed to it in chapters 82.04
and 82.08 RCW insofar as applicable, shall also mean any person who
distributes or displays, or causes to be distributed or displayed, any
article of tangible personal property, except newspapers, the primary
purpose of which is to promote the sale of products or services. With
respect to property distributed to persons within this state by a
consumer as defined in this subsection (9), the use of the property
shall be deemed to be by such consumer.
Sec. 320 RCW 82.14.230 and 1989 c 384 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The governing body of any city, while not required by
legislative mandate to do so, may, by resolution or ordinance for the
purposes authorized by this chapter, fix and impose on every person a
use tax for the privilege of using natural gas or manufactured gas in
the city as a consumer.
(2) The tax shall be imposed in an amount equal to the value of the
article used by the taxpayer multiplied by the rate in effect for the
tax on natural gas businesses under RCW 35.21.870 in the city in which
the article is used. The "value of the article used," does not include
any amounts that are paid for the hire or use of a natural gas business
in transporting the gas subject to tax under this subsection if those
amounts are subject to tax under RCW 35.21.870.
(3) The tax imposed under this section shall not apply to the use
of natural or manufactured gas if the person who sold the gas to the
consumer has paid a tax under RCW 35.21.870 with respect to the gas for
which exemption is sought under this subsection.
(4) There shall be a credit against the tax levied under this
section in an amount equal to any tax paid by:
(a) The person who sold the gas to the consumer when that tax is a
gross receipts tax similar to that imposed pursuant to RCW 35.21.870 by
another ((state)) municipality or other unit of local government with
respect to the gas for which a credit is sought under this subsection;
or
(b) The person consuming the gas upon which a use tax similar to
the tax imposed by this section was paid to another ((state))
municipality or other unit of local government with respect to the gas
for which a credit is sought under this subsection.
(5) The use tax hereby imposed shall be paid by the consumer. The
administration and collection of the tax hereby imposed shall be
pursuant to RCW 82.14.050."
On page 133, after line 35, insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 502 (1) Through sections 503 and 504 of this
act the legislature intends to address the taxation of persons
manufacturing and/or selling bunker fuel. Bunker fuel is fuel intended
for consumption outside the waters of the United States by vessels in
foreign commerce. Although the state has historically collected tax
from bunker fuel manufacturers, recently questions have arisen whether
the manufacture of bunker fuel is subject to business and occupation
tax under RCW 82.04.240. Pursuant to sections 503 and 504 of this act,
the activity is taxable under RCW 82.04.240.
(2) The legislature finds that at the time the deduction allowed
under RCW 82.04.433 was enacted in 1985, it was intended to apply only
to the wholesaling or retailing of bunker fuel. In 1987 the
legislature enacted the multiple activities tax credit in RCW
82.04.440. Enactment of the multiple activities tax credit resulted in
changed tax liability for certain taxpayers. In particular, some
taxpayers that engaged in activities that had been exempt under the
prior multiple activities exemption became subject to tax on
manufacturing activities upon enactment of the multiple activities tax
credit in its place. The manufacturing of bunker fuel is one such
activity."
Renumber the remaining sections consecutively.
SHB 1597 -
By Senator
On page 1, line 18 of the title, before "29A.36.210" insert "82.12.010, 82.14.230,"
EFFECT: Specifies that use taxes on natural and manufactured gas are based on the location where the gas is burned or stored.