S-2459.1

SENATE BILL 5916


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2017 Regular Session

By Senators Rivers, Cleveland, and Wilson

Read first time 03/30/17. Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

AN ACT Relating to the continuation of tax preferences supporting the semiconductor materials manufacturing industry; amending RCW 82.04.2404, 82.08.9651, and 82.12.9651; creating new sections; and providing expiration dates.

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 induce certain designated behavior by taxpayers, improve industry competitiveness, and create or retain jobs, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2) (a) through (c).

(3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to maintain and expand business in the semiconductor cluster. It is the legislature's intent to extend by ten years the preferential tax rates for manufacturers and processors for hire of semiconductor materials in order to maintain and grow jobs in the semiconductor cluster.

(4) If a review finds that: (a) Since the effective date of this section at least one project in the semiconductor cluster has located in Clark county, and that this project generates at least four thousand high-wage jobs, all of which pay twenty dollars per hour or more and at least eight percent of which pay thirty-five dollars per hour or more; and (b) the number of jobs in the semiconductor cluster in Washington has otherwise remained constant or increased since the effective date of this section, 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 the department of revenue's annual survey data.

(1) Upon every person engaging within this state in the business of manufacturing or processing for hire semiconductor materials, as to such persons the amount of tax with respect to such business is, in the case of manufacturers, equal to the value of the product manufactured, or, in the case of processors for hire, equal to the gross income of the business, multiplied by the rate of 0.275 percent.

(2) For the purposes of this section "semiconductor materials" means silicon crystals, silicon ingots, raw polished semiconductor wafers, and compound semiconductor wafers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) This section is the tax preference performance statement for the tax preferences contained in sections 4 and 5 of this act. This performance statement is only intended to be used for subsequent evaluation of the tax preferences. 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 these tax preferences as ones intended to induce certain designated behavior by taxpayers, improve industry competitiveness, and create or retain jobs, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2) (a) through (c).

(3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to encourage significant construction projects; retain, expand, and attract semiconductor business; and encourage and expand family-wage jobs. It is the legislature's intent to extend by ten years the preferential tax rates for sales and use of gases and chemicals used in the production of semiconductor materials, in order to encourage the growth and retention of the semiconductor business in Washington, thereby strengthening Washington's competitiveness with other states for manufacturing investment.

(4) If a review finds that the number of construction projects in the industry has increased, and that number of people employed by the solar silicon industry in Washington is the same or more than in 2015, and that at least sixty percent of employees earn sixty thousand dollars a year, then the legislature intends to extend the expiration date of the tax preferences.

(1) The tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 does not apply to sales of gases and chemicals used by a manufacturer or processor for hire in the production of semiconductor materials. This exemption is limited to gases and chemicals used in the production process to grow the product, deposit or grow permanent or sacrificial layers on the product, to etch or remove material from the product, to anneal the product, to immerse the product, to clean the product, and other such uses whereby the gases and chemicals come into direct contact with the product during the production process, or uses of gases and chemicals to clean the chambers and other like equipment in which such processing takes place. For the purposes of this section, "semiconductor materials" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.04.2404 and 82.04.294(3).

(2)(a) Except as provided under (b) of this subsection (2), a person claiming the exemption under this section must file a complete annual survey with the department under RCW 82.32.585.

(b) A person claiming the exemption under this section and who is required to file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534 as a result of claiming the tax preference provided by RCW 82.04.2404 is not also required to file a complete annual survey under RCW 82.32.585.

(1) The provisions of this chapter do not apply with respect to the use of gases and chemicals used by a manufacturer or processor for hire in the production of semiconductor materials. This exemption is limited to gases and chemicals used in the production process to grow the product, deposit or grow permanent or sacrificial layers on the product, to etch or remove material from the product, to anneal the product, to immerse the product, to clean the product, and other such uses whereby the gases and chemicals come into direct contact with the product during the production process, or uses of gases and chemicals to clean the chambers and other like equipment in which such processing takes place. For purposes of this section, "semiconductor materials" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.04.2404 and 82.04.294(3).

(2)(a) Except as provided under (b) of this subsection (2), a person claiming the exemption under this section must file a complete annual survey with the department under RCW 82.32.585.