BILL REQ. #:  S-3490.1 



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SENATE BILL 6322
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State of Washington63rd Legislature2014 Regular Session

By Senators Brown, Hewitt, Angel, Ericksen, Bailey, Honeyford, Dammeier, Braun, Becker, and Parlette

Read first time 01/21/14.   Referred to Committee on Energy, Environment & Telecommunications.



     AN ACT Relating to providing telecommunications investment incentives; adding a new section to chapter 82.08 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.12 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) This section is the tax preference performance statement for the tax preference contained in section 2 of this act. This performance statement is only intended to be used for subsequent evaluation of the tax preference. It is not intended to create a private right of action by any party or be used to determine eligibility for preferential tax treatment.
     (2) The legislature categorizes this tax preference as one intended to create or retain jobs, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2)(c).
     (3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to increase the number of jobs in the telecommunications industry in Washington. It is the legislature's intent to exempt from the tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 telecommunications machinery and equipment, or tangible personal property that becomes an ingredient or component of telecommunications machinery and equipment, thereby increasing the ability of these firms to invest in and expand their Washington operations, thereby increasing the number of jobs in the telecommunications industry in Washington.
     (4) If a review finds that the number of jobs in the telecommunications industry in Washington has increased by ten percent compared to the number of those jobs at the time of enactment, then the legislature intends to extend the expiration date of the tax preference.
     (5) In order to obtain the data necessary to perform the review in subsection (4) of this section, the joint legislative audit and review committee may refer to:
     (a) The annual survey that a taxpayer reporting under the tax rate provided in section 2 of this act must file with the department of revenue per RCW 82.32.585; and
     (b) Employment data available from the employment security department.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 82.08 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 does not apply to sales of telecommunications machinery and equipment, or to sales of tangible personal property that becomes an ingredient or component of telecommunications machinery and equipment.
     (2) For the purposes of this section, "telecommunications machinery and equipment" means machinery, equipment, and network software that is: Capable of directly sending, receiving, or storing voice or data communications; or used to enable, facilitate, maintain, or monitor a telecommunications network. "Telecommunications machinery and equipment" includes, but is not limited to: Antennas, amplifiers, wires, cable, fiber optic cable, rectifiers, duplexers, triplexers, multiplexers, receivers, repeaters, transmitters, power equipment, modems, routers, storage devices, closures, conduits, controllers, filters, input devices, insulators, microwave equipment, output devices, pedestals, power converters, radio channels, terminals, timing units, transformers, bridges, network computers, cross connects, plug-in circuitry, oscillators, network software, servers, power transport equipment, test equipment, connectors, attenuators, circuit switches, analog electronic switches, digital electronic switches, and switches for operator assistance.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 82.12 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The provisions of this chapter do not apply to the use of telecommunications machinery and equipment, or to the use of tangible personal property that becomes an ingredient or component of telecommunications machinery and equipment.
     (2) The definitions in section 2 of this act apply to this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   This act takes effect August 1, 2014.

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