(1) Businesses that invest capital create jobs and generate economic activity that supports a healthy Washington economy. The legislature finds that these investments result in future revenues that support schools and our communities. Therefore, the legislature finds that a pilot program must be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a program that invests business taxes from new investments into workforce training programs that support manufacturing businesses in the state of Washington thereby creating jobs and capital investments in the state for the benefit of its citizens.
(2)(a) This subsection is the tax preference performance statement for the sales and use tax deferral provided in RCW
82.85.040 on expenditures made to build or expand qualified investment projects and purchases of machinery and equipment. 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.
(b) The legislature categorizes the tax preference as one intended to create or retain jobs and to provide funding to support job readiness training, professional development, or apprenticeship programs in manufacturing or production occupations, as indicated in RCW
82.32.808(2) (c) and (f).
(c) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to provide a pilot program that would provide a sales tax deferral on the construction and expenditure costs of up to two new manufacturing facilities per calendar year, one of which must be located in eastern Washington and one of which must be located in western Washington. When deferred taxes are repaid, the deferred taxes are reinvested to support job readiness training, professional development, or apprenticeship programs in manufacturing or production occupations.
(d) To measure the effectiveness of the deferral provided in this part in achieving the specific public policy objective described in (c) of this subsection, the joint legislative audit and review committee should refer to information available from the employment security department and department of revenue. If a review finds that each eligible investment project generated at least twenty full-time jobs and increased training opportunities for manufacturing and production jobs, then the legislature intends for the legislative auditor to recommend extending the expiration date of the tax preference. For purposes of this subsection (2)(d), the term full-time jobs include both temporary construction jobs and permanent full-time employment positions created at the eligible investment project within one year of the date that the facility became operationally complete as determined by the department of revenue.
(3) This section expires January 1, 2026.