READ FIRST TIME 02/09/10.   

     AN ACT Relating to local excise tax provisions for counties and cities; amending RCW 82.14.450, 82.14.460, 82.14.340, 82.12.010, 82.14.230, and 9.46.113; and repealing 2009 c 551 s 12 (uncodified).

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.14.450 and 2009 c 551 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A county legislative authority may submit an authorizing proposition to the county voters at a primary or general election and, if the proposition is approved by a majority of persons voting, impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The title of each ballot measure must clearly state the purposes for which the proposed sales and use tax will be used. ((Funds raised under this tax shall not supplant existing funds used for these purposes, except as follows: Up to one hundred percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2010; up to eighty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2011; up to sixty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2012; up to forty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2013; and up to twenty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2014. For purposes of this subsection, existing funds means the actual operating expenditures for the calendar year in which the ballot measure is approved by voters. Actual operating expenditures excludes lost federal funds, lost or expired state grants or loans, extraordinary events not likely to reoccur, changes in contract provisions beyond the control of the county or city receiving the services, and major nonrecurring capital expenditures.)) The rate of tax under this section may not exceed three-tenths of one percent of the selling price in the case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the case of a use tax.
     (2)(a) A city legislative authority may submit an authorizing proposition to the city voters at a primary or general election and, if the proposition is approved by a majority of persons voting, impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The title of each ballot measure must clearly state the purposes for which the proposed sales and use tax will be used. The rate of tax under this subsection may not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the selling price in the case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the case of a use tax. A city may not begin imposing a tax approved by the voters under this subsection prior to January 1, 2011.
     (b) If a county adopts an ordinance or resolution to submit a ballot proposition to the voters to impose the sales and use tax under subsection (1) of this section prior to a city within the county adopting an ordinance or resolution to submit a ballot proposition to the voters to impose the tax under this subsection, the rate of tax by the city under this subsection may not exceed an amount that would cause the total county and city tax rate under this section to exceed three-tenths of one percent. This subsection (2)(b) also applies if the county and city adopt an ordinance or resolution to impose sales and use taxes under this section on the same date.
     (c) If the city adopts an ordinance or resolution to submit a ballot proposition to the voters to impose the sales and use tax under this subsection prior to the county in which the city is located, the county must provide a credit against its tax under subsection (1) of this section for the city tax under this subsection to the extent the total county and city tax rate under this section would exceed three-tenths of one percent.
     (3) The tax authorized in this section is in addition to any other taxes authorized by law and must be collected from those persons who are taxable by the state under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the county.
     (((3))) (4) The retail sale or use of motor vehicles, and the lease of motor vehicles for up to the first thirty-six months of the lease, are exempt from tax imposed under this section.
     (((4))) (5) One-third of all money received under this section must be used solely for criminal justice purposes, fire protection purposes, or both. For the purposes of this subsection, "criminal justice purposes" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.14.340.
     (((5))) (6) Money received by a county under subsection (1) of this section must be shared between the county and the cities as follows: Sixty percent must be retained by the county and forty percent must be distributed on a per capita basis to cities in the county.
     (7) Tax proceeds received by a city imposing a tax under this section must be shared between the county and city as follows: Fifteen percent must be distributed to the county and eighty-five percent is retained by the city.

Sec. 2   RCW 82.14.460 and 2009 c 551 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) A county legislative authority may authorize, fix, and impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter.
     (b) If a county with a population over eight hundred thousand has not imposed the tax authorized under this subsection by January 1, 2011, any city with a population over thirty thousand located in that county may authorize, fix, and impose the sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The county must provide a credit against its tax for the full amount of tax imposed under this subsection (1)(b) by any city located in that county if the county imposes the tax after January 1, 2011.
     (2) The tax authorized in this section ((shall be)) is in addition to any other taxes authorized by law and ((shall)) must be collected from those persons who are taxable by the state under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the county for a county's tax and within a city for a city's tax. The rate of tax ((shall)) equals one-tenth of one percent of the selling price in the case of a sales tax, or value of the article used, in the case of a use tax.
     (3) Moneys collected under this section ((shall)) must be used solely for the purpose of providing for the operation or delivery of chemical dependency or mental health treatment programs and services and for the operation or delivery of therapeutic court programs and services. For the purposes of this section, "programs and services" includes, but is not limited to, treatment services, case management, and housing that are a component of a coordinated chemical dependency or mental health treatment program or service.
     (4) All moneys collected under this section must be used solely for the purpose of providing new or expanded programs and services as provided in this section, except a portion of moneys collected under this section may be used to supplant existing funding for these purposes in any county or city as follows: Up to fifty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2010; up to forty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2011; up to thirty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2012; up to twenty percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2013; and up to ten percent may be used to supplant existing funding in calendar year 2014.
     (5) Nothing in this section may be interpreted to prohibit the use of moneys collected under this section for the replacement of lapsed federal funding previously provided for the operation or delivery of services and programs as provided in this section.

Sec. 3   RCW 82.14.340 and 1995 c 309 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislative authority of any county may fix and impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter, provided that such sales and use tax is subject to repeal by referendum, using the procedures provided in RCW 82.14.036. The referendum procedure provided in RCW 82.14.036 is the exclusive method for subjecting any county sales and use tax ordinance or resolution to a referendum vote.
     (2) The tax authorized in this section ((shall be)) is in addition to any other taxes authorized by law and ((shall)) must be collected from those persons who are taxable by the state pursuant to chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within such county. The rate of tax ((shall)) equals one-tenth of one percent of the selling price (in the case of a sales tax) or value of the article used (in the case of a use tax).
     (3) When distributing moneys collected under this section, the state treasurer ((shall)) must distribute ten percent of the moneys to the county in which the tax was collected. The remainder of the moneys collected under this section ((shall)) must be distributed to the county and the cities within the county ratably based on population as last determined by the office of financial management. In making the distribution based on population, the county ((shall)) must receive that proportion that the unincorporated population of the county bears to the total population of the county and each city ((shall)) must receive that proportion that the city incorporated population bears to the total county population.
     (4) Moneys received from any tax imposed under this section ((shall)) must be expended ((exclusively)) for criminal justice purposes ((and shall not be used to replace or supplant existing funding)). Criminal justice purposes are defined as activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs, and which includes domestic violence services such as those provided by domestic violence programs, community advocates, and legal advocates, as defined in RCW 70.123.020. ((Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes. Calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes exclude the following: Expenditures for extraordinary events not likely to reoccur, changes in contract provisions for criminal justice services, beyond the control of the local jurisdiction receiving the services, and major nonrecurring capital expenditures.))
     (5) In the expenditure of funds for criminal justice purposes as provided in this section, cities and counties, or any combination thereof, are expressly authorized to participate in agreements, pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW, to jointly expend funds for criminal justice purposes of mutual benefit. Such criminal justice purposes of mutual benefit include, but are not limited to, the construction, improvement, and expansion of jails, court facilities, ((and)) juvenile justice facilities, and services with ancillary benefits to the civil justice system.

Sec. 4   RCW 82.12.010 and 2009 c 535 s 304 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)) is 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)) is 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)) must 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)) is 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)) must 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)) is 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)) is 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)) is 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 digital automated service or other 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)) is 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)) is 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) "Value of the digital good or digital code used" means the purchase price for the digital good or digital code, the use of which is taxable under this chapter. If the digital good or digital code is acquired other than by purchase, the value of the digital good or digital code must be determined as nearly as possible according to the retail selling price at place of use of similar digital goods or digital codes of like quality and character under rules the department may prescribe;
     (6) "Use," "used," "using," or "put to use" have their ordinary meaning, and 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;
     (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;
     (d) With respect to a digital good or digital code, the first act within this state by which the taxpayer, as a consumer, views, accesses, downloads, possesses, stores, opens, manipulates, or otherwise uses or enjoys the digital good or digital code;
     (e) With respect to a digital automated service, the first act within this state by which the taxpayer, as a consumer, uses, enjoys, or otherwise receives the benefit of the service;
     (f) With respect to a service defined as a retail sale in RCW 82.04.050(6)(b), the first act within this state by which the taxpayer, as a consumer, accesses the prewritten computer software; ((and))
     (g) With respect to a service defined as a retail sale in RCW 82.04.050(2)(g), the first act within this state after the service has been performed by which the taxpayer, as a consumer, views, accesses, downloads, possesses, stores, opens, manipulates, or otherwise uses or enjoys the digital good upon which the service was performed; and
     (h) 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;
     (7) "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;
     (8)(a)(i) Except as provided in (a)(ii) of this subsection (8), "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, digital good, digital code, or a sale of any digital automated service or service defined as a retail sale in RCW 82.04.050 (2)(a) or (g), (3)(a), or (6)(b) 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;
     (9) "Extended warranty" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.04.050(7);
     (10) The meaning ascribed to words and phrases in chapters 82.04 and 82.08 RCW, insofar as applicable, ((shall have)) has 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 means 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 (10), the use of the property ((shall be)) is deemed to be by such consumer.

Sec. 5   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)) is 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)) does 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)) is 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)) must be paid by the consumer. The administration and collection of the tax ((hereby)) imposed ((shall be)) is pursuant to RCW 82.14.050.

Sec. 6   RCW 9.46.113 and 1975 1st ex.s. c 166 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:
     Any county, city or town which collects a tax on gambling activities authorized pursuant to RCW 9.46.110 ((shall)) must use the revenue from such tax primarily for the purpose of ((enforcement of the provisions of this chapter by the county, city or town law enforcement agency)) public safety.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   2009 c 551 s 12 (uncodified) is hereby repealed.