Passed by the Senate April 19, 2005 YEAS 25   BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 22, 2005 YEAS 50   FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 6096 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. THOMAS HOEMANN ________________________________________ Secretary | |
Approved May 17, 2005. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | May 17, 2005 - 3:33 p.m. Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2005 Regular Session |
Read first time 03/24/2005. Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
AN ACT Relating to generating new tax revenues to provide education funding; amending RCW 83.100.020, 83.100.040, 83.100.050, 83.100.060, 83.100.070, 83.100.090, 83.100.110, 83.100.130, 83.100.140, 83.100.150, 83.100.210, and 83.100.010; adding new sections to chapter 83.100 RCW; creating new sections; repealing RCW 83.100.030 and 83.100.045; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature recognizes that on February
3, 2005, the Washington state supreme court decided in Estate of
Hemphill v. Dep't of Rev., Docket No. 74974-4, that Washington's estate
tax is tied to the current federal Internal Revenue Code. The
legislature finds that the revenue loss resulting from the Hemphill
decision will severely affect the legislature's ability to fund
programs vital to the peace, health, safety, and support of the
citizens of this state. The legislature intends to address the adverse
fiscal impact of the Hemphill decision and provide funding for
education by creating a stand-alone state estate tax.
Sec. 2 RCW
83.100.020 and 2001 c 320 s 15 are each amended to
read as follows:
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Decedent" means a deceased individual;
(2) "Department" means the department of revenue, the director of
that department, or any employee of the department exercising authority
lawfully delegated to him by the director;
(3) (("Federal credit" means (a) for a transfer, the maximum amount
of the credit for state taxes allowed by section 2011 of the Internal
Revenue Code; and (b) for a generation-skipping transfer, the maximum
amount of the credit for state taxes allowed by section 2604 of the
Internal Revenue Code;)) "Federal return" means any tax return required by chapter 11
((
(4)or 13)) of the Internal Revenue Code;
(((5))) (4) "Federal tax" means (((a) for a transfer,)) a tax under
chapter 11 of the Internal Revenue Code; ((and (b) for a generation-skipping transfer, the tax under chapter 13 of the Internal Revenue
Code;)) (5) "Gross estate" means "gross estate" as defined and used
in section 2031 of the Internal Revenue Code;
(6) "Generation-skipping transfer" means a "generation-skipping
transfer" as defined and used in section 2611 of the Internal Revenue
Code;
(7)
(((8) "Nonresident" means a decedent who was domiciled outside
Washington at his death;)) (6) "Person" means any individual, estate, trust, receiver,
cooperative association, club, corporation, company, firm, partnership,
joint venture, syndicate, or other entity and, to the extent permitted
by law, any federal, state, or other governmental unit or subdivision
or agency, department, or instrumentality thereof;
(9)
(((10))) (7) "Person required to file the federal return" means any
person required to file a return required by chapter 11 ((or 13)) of
the Internal Revenue Code, such as the personal representative of an
estate((; or a transferor, trustee, or beneficiary of a generation-skipping transfer; or a qualified heir with respect to qualified real
property, as defined and used in section 2032A(c) of the Internal
Revenue Code));
(((11))) (8) "Property" means (((a) for a transfer,)) property
included in the gross estate((; and (b) for a generation-skipping
transfer, all real and personal property subject to the federal tax));
(((12))) (9) "Resident" means a decedent who was domiciled in
Washington at time of death;
(((13))) (10) "Taxpayer" means a person upon whom tax is imposed
under this chapter, including an estate or a person liable for tax
under RCW 83.100.120;
(11) "Transfer" means "transfer" as used in section 2001 of the
Internal Revenue Code((, or a disposition or cessation of qualified use
as defined and used in section 2032A(c) of the Internal Revenue Code)).
However, "transfer" does not include a qualified heir disposing of an
interest in property qualifying for a deduction under section 4 of this
act or ceasing to use the property for farming purposes;
(((14) "Trust" means "trust" under Washington law and any
arrangement described in section 2652 of the Internal Revenue Code; and)) (12) "Internal Revenue Code" means, for the purposes of this
chapter and RCW 83.110.010, the United States Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended or renumbered as of January 1, ((
(15)2001)) 2005;
(13) "Washington taxable estate" means the federal taxable estate,
less: (a) One million five hundred thousand dollars for decedents
dying before January 1, 2006; and (b) two million dollars for decedents
dying on or after January 1, 2006; and (c) the amount of any deduction
allowed under section 4 of this act; and
(14) "Federal taxable estate" means the taxable estate as
determined under chapter 11 of the Internal Revenue Code without regard
to: (a) The termination of the federal estate tax under section 2210
of the Internal Revenue Code or any other provision of law, and (b) the
deduction for state estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes
allowable under section 2058 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Sec. 3 RCW 83.100.040 and 1988 c 64 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) A tax in an amount computed as provided in this section is
imposed on every transfer of property located in Washington ((of every
nonresident)). For the purposes of this section, any intangible
property owned by a resident is located in Washington.
(2) ((The tax shall be computed by multiplying the federal credit
by a fraction, the numerator of which is the value of the property
located in Washington, and the denominator of which is the value of the
decedent's gross estate.)) (a) Except as provided in (b) of this
subsection, the amount of tax is the amount provided in the following
table:
(3) The transfer of the property of a nonresident is exempt from
the tax imposed by this section to the extent that the property of
residents is exempt from taxation under the laws of the state in which
the nonresident is domiciled.
If Washington Taxable | The amount of Tax Equals | Of Washington Taxable Estate Value Greater than | ||
Estate is at least | But Less Than | Initial Tax Amount | Plus Tax Rate % | |
$0 | $1,000,000 | $0 | 10.00% | $0 |
$1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $100,000 | 14.00% | $1,000,000 |
$2,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $240,000 | 15.00% | $2,000,000 |
$3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $390,000 | 16.00% | $3,000,000 |
$4,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $550,000 | 17.00% | $4,000,000 |
$6,000,000 | $7,000,000 | $890,000 | 18.00% | $6,000,000 |
$7,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $1,070,000 | 18.50% | $7,000,000 |
Above $9,000,000 | $1,440,000 | 19.00% | Above $9,000,000 |
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new
section is added to chapter 83.100 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) For the purposes of determining the Washington taxable estate,
a deduction is allowed from the federal taxable estate for the value of
qualified real property and the value of any tangible personal property
used primarily for farming purposes conducted on the qualified real
property, reduced by any amounts allowable as a deduction in respect of
the qualified real property and tangible personal property under
section 2053(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, if the decedent was at
the time of his or her death a citizen or resident of the United
States. For the purposes of determining the deduction amount, the
value of property is its value as used to determine the value of the
gross estate.
(2) Property shall be considered to have been acquired from or to
have passed from the decedent if:
(a) The property is so considered under section 1014(b) of the
Internal Revenue Code;
(b) The property is acquired by any person from the estate; or
(c) The property is acquired by any person from a trust, to the
extent the property is includible in the gross estate of the decedent.
(3) If the decedent and the decedent's surviving spouse at any time
held qualified real property as community property, the interest of the
surviving spouse in the property shall be taken into account under this
section to the extent necessary to provide a result under this section
with respect to the property which is consistent with the result which
would have obtained under this section if the property had not been
community property.
(4) In the case of any qualified woodland, the value of trees
growing on the woodland may be deducted if otherwise qualified under
this section.
(5) If property is qualified real property with respect to a
decedent, hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the "first
decedent," and the property was acquired from or passed from the first
decedent to the surviving spouse of the first decedent, active
management of the farm by the surviving spouse shall be treated as
material participation by the surviving spouse in the operation of the
farm.
(6) Property owned indirectly by the decedent may qualify for a
deduction under this section if owned through an interest in a
corporation, partnership, or trust as the terms corporation,
partnership, or trust are used in section 2032A(g) of the Internal
Revenue Code. In order to qualify for a deduction under this
subsection, the interest, in addition to meeting the other tests for
qualification under this section, must qualify under section 6166(b)(1)
of the Internal Revenue Code as an interest in a closely held business
on the date of the decedent's death and for sufficient other time,
combined with periods of direct ownership, to equal at least five years
of the eight-year period preceding the death.
(7)(a) If, on the date of the decedent's death, the requirements of
subsection (10)(f)(i)(C)(II) of this section with respect to the
decedent for any property are not met, and the decedent (i) was
receiving old age benefits under Title II of the social security act
for a continuous period ending on such date, or (ii) was disabled for
a continuous period ending on this date, then subsection
(10)(f)(i)(C)(II) of this section shall be applied with respect to the
property by substituting "the date on which the longer of such
continuous periods began" for "the date of the decedent's death" in
subsection (10)(f)(i)(C) of this section.
(b) For the purposes of (a) of this subsection, an individual shall
be disabled if the individual has a mental or physical impairment which
renders that individual unable to materially participate in the
operation of the farm.
(8) Property may be deducted under this section whether or not
special valuation is elected under section 2032A of the Internal
Revenue Code on the federal return.
(9)(a) In the case of any qualified replacement property, any
period during which there was ownership, qualified use, or material
participation with respect to the replaced property by the decedent or
any member of the decedent's family shall be treated as a period during
which there was ownership, use, or material participation, as the case
may be, with respect to the qualified replacement property.
(b) Subsection (9)(a) of this section shall not apply to the extent
that the fair market value of the qualified replacement property, as of
the date of its acquisition, exceeds the fair market value of the
replaced property, as of the date of its disposition.
(c) For the purposes of this subsection (9), the following
definitions apply:
(i) "Qualified replacement property" means any real property:
(A) Which is acquired in an exchange which qualifies under section
1031 of the Internal Revenue Code; or
(B) The acquisition of which results in the nonrecognition of gain
under section 1033 of the Internal Revenue Code.
The term "qualified replacement property" only includes property
which is used for the same qualified use as the replaced property was
being used before the exchange.
(ii) "Replaced property" means the property was:
(A) Transferred in the exchange which qualifies under section 1031
of the Internal Revenue Code; or
(B) Compulsorily or involuntarily converted within the meaning of
section 1033 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(10) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions
apply:
(a) "Active management" means the making of the management
decisions of a farm, other than the daily operating decisions.
(b) "Farm" includes stock, dairy, poultry, fruit, furbearing
animal, and truck farms; plantations; ranches; nurseries; ranges;
greenhouses or other similar structures used primarily for the raising
of agricultural or horticultural commodities; and orchards and
woodlands.
(c) "Farming purposes" means:
(i) Cultivating the soil or raising or harvesting any agricultural
or horticultural commodity, including the raising, shearing, feeding,
caring for, training, and management of animals on a farm;
(ii) Handling, drying, packing, grading, or storing on a farm any
agricultural or horticultural commodity in its unmanufactured state,
but only if the owner, tenant, or operator of the farm regularly
produces more than one-half of the commodity so treated; and
(iii)(A) The planting, cultivating, caring for, or cutting of
trees; or
(B) The preparation, other than milling, of trees for market.
(d) "Member of the family" means, with respect to any individual,
only:
(i) An ancestor of the individual;
(ii) The spouse of the individual;
(iii) A lineal descendant of the individual, of the individual's
spouse, or of a parent of the individual; or
(iv) The spouse of any lineal descendant described in (d)(iii) of
this subsection.
For the purposes of this subsection (10)(d), a legally adopted
child of an individual shall be treated as the child of such individual
by blood.
(e) "Qualified heir" means, with respect to any property, a member
of the decedent's family who acquired property, or to whom property
passed, from the decedent.
(f)(i) "Qualified real property" means real property which was
acquired from or passed from the decedent to a qualified heir of the
decedent and which, on the date of the decedent's death, was being used
for a qualified use by the decedent or a member of the decedent's
family, but only if:
(A) Fifty percent or more of the adjusted value of the gross estate
consists of the adjusted value of real or personal property which:
(I) On the date of the decedent's death, was being used for a
qualified use by the decedent or a member of the decedent's family; and
(II) Was acquired from or passed from the decedent to a qualified
heir of the decedent;
(B) Twenty-five percent or more of the adjusted value of the gross
estate consists of the adjusted value of real property which meets the
requirements of (f)(i)(A)(II) and (f)(i)(C) of this subsection; and
(C) During the eight-year period ending on the date of the
decedent's death there have been periods aggregating five years or more
during which:
(I) The real property was owned by the decedent or a member of the
decedent's family and used for a qualified use by the decedent or a
member of the decedent's family; and
(II) There was material participation by the decedent or a member
of the decedent's family in the operation of the farm. For the
purposes of this subsection (f)(i)(C)(II), material participation shall
be determined in a manner similar to the manner used for purposes of
section 1402(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(ii) For the purposes of this subsection, the term "adjusted value"
means:
(A) In the case of the gross estate, the value of the gross estate,
determined without regard to any special valuation under section 2032A
of the Internal Revenue Code, reduced by any amounts allowable as a
deduction under section 2053(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code; or
(B) In the case of any real or personal property, the value of the
property for purposes of chapter 11 of the Internal Revenue Code,
determined without regard to any special valuation under section 2032A
of the Internal Revenue Code, reduced by any amounts allowable as a
deduction in respect of such property under section 2053(a)(4) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
(g) "Qualified use" means the property is used as a farm for
farming purposes. In the case of real property which meets the
requirements of (f)(i)(C) of this subsection, residential buildings and
related improvements on the real property occupied on a regular basis
by the owner or lessee of the real property or by persons employed by
the owner or lessee for the purpose of operating or maintaining the
real property, and roads, buildings, and other structures and
improvements functionally related to the qualified use shall be treated
as real property devoted to the qualified use.
(h) "Qualified woodland" means any real property which:
(i) Is used in timber operations; and
(ii) Is an identifiable area of land such as an acre or other area
for which records are normally maintained in conducting timber
operations.
(i) "Timber operations" means:
(i) The planting, cultivating, caring for, or cutting of trees; or
(ii) The preparation, other than milling, of trees for market.
Sec. 5 RCW 83.100.050 and 1988 c 64 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) ((The)) A Washington return must be filed if: (a) A federal
return is required to be filed; or (b) for decedents dying prior to
January 1, 2006, the gross estate exceeds one million five hundred
thousand dollars; or (c) for decedents dying on or after January 1,
2006, the gross estate exceeds two million dollars.
(2)(a) A person required to file ((the)) a federal return shall
file with the department on or before the date the federal return is
required to be filed, including any extension of time for filing ((the
federal return:)) under subsection (4) of this section, a Washington return for
the tax due under this chapter((
(a); and)).
(b) A copy of the federal return.
No Washington return need be filed if no federal return is
required
(b) If no federal return is required to be filed, a taxpayer shall
file with the department on or before the date a federal return would
have been required to be filed, including any extension of time for
filing under subsection (5) of this section, a Washington return for
the tax due under this chapter.
(3) A Washington return delivered to the department by United
States mail shall be considered to have been received by the department
on the date of the United States postmark stamped on the cover in which
the return is mailed, if the postmark date is within the time allowed
for filing the Washington return, including extensions.
(((2))) (4) In addition to the Washington return required to be
filed in subsection (2) of this section, a person, if required to file
a federal return, shall file with the department on or before the date
the federal return, is required to be filed a copy of the federal
return along with all supporting documentation. If the person required
to file the federal return has obtained an extension of time for filing
the federal return, the person shall file the Washington return within
the same time period and in the same manner as provided for the federal
return. A copy of the federal extension shall be filed with the
department on or before the date the Washington return is due, not
including any extension of time for filing, or within thirty days of
issuance, whichever is later.
(5) A person who is required to file a Washington return under
subsection (2) of this section, but is not required to file a federal
return, may obtain an extension of time for filing the Washington
return as provided by rule of the department.
Sec. 6 RCW 83.100.060 and 1988 c 64 s 7 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The taxes imposed by this chapter shall be paid by the person
required to file ((the federal)) a Washington return on or before the
date the Washington return is required to be filed under RCW
83.100.050, not including any extension of time for filing. Payment
delivered to the department by United States mail shall be considered
to have been received by the department on the date of the United
States postmark stamped on the cover in which payment is mailed, if the
postmark date is within the time allowed for making the payment,
including any extensions.
(2) If the person ((required to file the federal return)) has
obtained an extension of time for payment of the federal tax or has
elected to pay such tax in installments, the person may elect to pay
the tax imposed by this chapter within the same time period and in the
same manner as provided for payment of the federal tax. A copy of the
federal extension shall be filed on or before the date the tax imposed
by this chapter is due, not including any extension of time for
payment, or within thirty days of issuance, whichever is later.
(3) A person who is required to file a Washington return under RCW
83.100.050, but is not required to file a federal return, may obtain an
extension of time for payment of the Washington tax or elect to pay
such tax in installments as provided by rule of the department.
(4) The periods of limitation in RCW 83.100.130 and section 14 of
this act shall extend an additional three years beyond the due date of
the last scheduled installment payment authorized under this section.
Sec. 7 RCW 83.100.070 and 2000 c 105 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) For periods before January 2, 1997, any tax due under this
chapter which is not paid by the due date under RCW 83.100.060(1) shall
bear interest at the rate of twelve percent per annum from the date the
tax is due until the date of payment.
(2) Interest imposed under this section for periods after January
1, 1997, shall be computed at the rate as computed under RCW
82.32.050(2). The rate so computed shall be adjusted on the first day
of January of each year.
(3)(a) If the Washington return is not filed when due under RCW
83.100.050 and the person required to file the ((federal)) Washington
return under RCW 83.100.050 voluntarily ((reports the filing and))
files ((both)) the ((state and federal estate tax returns)) Washington
return with the department before the department notifies the person in
writing that the department has determined that the person has not
filed a Washington return, no penalty is imposed on the person required
to file the ((federal)) Washington return.
(b) If the Washington return is not filed when due under RCW
83.100.050 and the person required to file the ((federal)) Washington
return under RCW 83.100.050 does not file a return with the department
before the department notifies the person in writing that the
department has determined that the person has not filed a ((state
estate tax)) Washington return, the person required to file the
((federal)) Washington return shall pay, in addition to interest, a
penalty equal to five percent of the tax due for each month after the
date the return is due until filed. However, in no instance may the
penalty exceed the lesser of twenty-five percent of the tax due or one
thousand five hundred dollars.
(c) If the department finds that a return due under this chapter
has not been filed by the due date, and the delinquency was the result
of circumstances beyond the control of the responsible person, the
department shall waive or cancel any penalties imposed under this
chapter with respect to the filing of such a tax return. The
department shall adopt rules for the waiver or cancellation of the
penalties imposed by this section.
Sec. 8 RCW 83.100.090 and 1988 c 64 s 10 are each amended to read
as follows:
Notwithstanding the periods of limitation in section 14 of this act
and RCW 83.100.130:
(1) If the person required to file the ((federal)) Washington
return under RCW 83.100.050 files an amended federal return, that
person shall immediately file with the department an amended Washington
return with a copy of the amended federal return. If the amended
Washington return requires payment of an additional tax under this
chapter, the tax shall be paid in accordance with RCW 83.100.060 and
interest shall be paid in accordance with RCW 83.100.070.
(2) Upon any adjustment in, or final determination of, the amount
of federal tax due, the person required to file the ((federal))
Washington return under RCW 83.100.050 shall notify the department in
writing within ((sixty)) one hundred twenty days after the adjustment
or final determination. If the adjustment or final determination
requires payment of an additional tax under this chapter, the tax shall
be paid in accordance with RCW 83.100.060 and interest shall be paid in
accordance with RCW 83.100.070.
(3) If the department determines the amended Washington return,
adjustment, or final determination requires payment of an additional
tax under this chapter, the department may assess against the taxpayer
an additional amount found to be due within one year of receipt of the
amended Washington return or written notice as required by this
section, or at any time if no amended Washington return is filed or
notice is provided as required by this section. The execution of a
written waiver at the request of the department by the person required
to file the Washington return under RCW 83.100.050 may extend this
limitation. Interest shall be added to the amount of tax assessed by
the department in accordance with RCW 83.100.070. The department shall
notify the taxpayer by mail of the additional amount, and the
additional amount shall become due and shall be paid within thirty days
from the date of the notice, or within such further time as the
department may provide.
(4) If the department determines the amended Washington return,
adjustment, or final determination requires the refund of overpaid tax,
penalties, or interest under this chapter, the department shall refund
the amount of the overpayment with interest in accordance with RCW
83.100.130. The person required to file the Washington return under
RCW 83.100.050 shall provide the department with any additional
information or supporting documents necessary to determine if a refund
is due. The execution of a written waiver to extend the period for
assessment under subsection (3) of this section shall extend the time
for making a refund, if prior to the expiration of the waiver period an
application for refund of the taxes is made by the person required to
file the Washington return under RCW 83.100.050, or the department
discovers a refund is due.
Sec. 9 RCW 83.100.110 and 1988 c 64 s 11 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Unless any tax due under this chapter is sooner paid in full,
it shall be a lien upon the property subject to the tax for a period of
ten years from the date of the transfer ((or the generation-skipping
transfer)), except that any part of the property which is used for the
payment of claims against the property or expenses of its
administration, allowed by any court having jurisdiction thereof, shall
be divested of the lien. Liens created under this subsection shall be
qualified as follows:
(a) Any part of the property subject to the tax which is sold to a
bona fide purchaser shall be divested of the lien and the lien shall be
transferred to the proceeds of the sale; and
(b) The lien shall be subordinate to any mortgage or deed of trust
on the property pursuant to an order of court for payment of claims
against the property or expenses of administration. The lien shall
attach to any proceeds from the sale of the property in excess of the
obligations secured by the mortgage or deed of trust and the expenses
of sale, including a reasonable charge by the trustee and by his or her
attorney where the property has been sold by a nonjudicial trustee's
sale pursuant to chapter 61.24 RCW, and including court costs and any
attorneys' fees awarded by the superior court of the county in which
the property is sold at sheriff's sale pursuant to a judicial
foreclosure of the mortgage or deed of trust.
(2) If the person required to file the ((federal)) Washington
return under RCW 83.100.050 has obtained an extension of time for
payment of the ((federal)) tax or has elected to pay such tax in
installments, the tax lien under this section shall be extended as
necessary to prevent its expiration prior to twelve months following
the expiration of any such extension or the installment.
(3) The tax lien shall be extended as necessary to prevent its
expiration prior to twelve months following the conclusion of
litigation of any question affecting the determination of the amount of
tax due if a lis pendens has been filed with the auditor of the county
in which the property is located.
Sec. 10 RCW 83.100.130 and 1997 c 157 s 6 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) ((Whenever)) If, upon receipt of an application by a taxpayer
for a refund, or upon examination of the returns or records of any
taxpayer, the department determines that within the statutory period
for assessment of taxes, penalties, or interest prescribed by section
14 of this act a person required to file the ((federal)) Washington
return under RCW 83.100.050 has overpaid the tax due under this
chapter,
the department shall refund the amount of the overpayment,
together with interest ((at the then existing rate under RCW
83.100.070(1))) as provided in subsection (2) of this section. If the
application for refund, with supporting documents, is filed within
((four months)) one hundred twenty days after an adjustment or final
determination of federal tax liability, the department shall pay
interest until the date the refund is mailed. If the application for
refund, with supporting documents, is filed after ((four months)) one
hundred twenty days after the adjustment or final determination, the
department shall pay interest only until the end of the ((four-month))
one hundred twenty-day period.
(2) Interest refunded under this section for periods before January
2, 1997, shall be computed at the rate provided in RCW 83.100.070(1).
Interest refunded under this section for periods after January 1, 1997,
through December 31, 1998, shall be computed on a daily basis at the
rate as computed under RCW 82.32.050(2) less one percentage point.
Interest allowed for periods after December 31, 1998, shall be computed
at the rate as computed under RCW 82.32.050(2). Except as provided in
subsection (1) of this section, interest shall be refunded from the
date of overpayment until the date the refund is mailed. The rate so
computed shall be adjusted on the first day of January of each year.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4) of this section
and RCW 83.100.090, no refund shall be made for taxes, penalties, or
interest paid more than four years prior to the beginning of the
calendar year in which the refund application is made or an examination
of records is complete.
(4) The execution of a written waiver under section 14 of this act
shall extend the time for making a refund if, prior to the expiration
of the waiver period, an application for refund is made by the taxpayer
or the department discovers a refund is due.
(5) An application for refund shall be on a form prescribed by the
department and shall contain any information and supporting documents
the department requires.
Sec. 11 RCW 83.100.140 and 1988 c 64 s 13 are each amended to
read as follows:
Any person required to file the ((federal)) Washington return who
((wilfully)) willfully fails to file a Washington return when required
by this chapter or who ((wilfully)) willfully files a false return
commits a gross misdemeanor as defined in Title 9A RCW and shall be
punished as provided in Title 9A RCW for the perpetration of a gross
misdemeanor.
Sec. 12 RCW 83.100.150 and 1988 c 64 s 14 are each amended to
read as follows:
(((1))) The department may collect the estate tax imposed under RCW
((83.100.030 and)) 83.100.040, including interest and penalties, and
shall represent this state in all matters pertaining to the same,
either before courts or in any other manner. At any time after the
Washington return is due, the department may file its findings
regarding the amount of the tax((, the federal credit)) computed as
provided in RCW 83.100.040, the person required to file the ((federal))
Washington return under RCW 83.100.050, and all persons having an
interest in property subject to the tax with the clerk of the superior
court in the matter of the estate of the decedent or, if no probate or
administration proceedings have been commenced in any court of this
state, of the superior court for the county in which the decedent was
a resident, if the resident was a domiciliary, or, if the decedent was
a nondomiciliary, of any superior court which has jurisdiction over the
property. Such a court first acquiring jurisdiction shall retain
jurisdiction to the exclusion of every other court.
(((2) The department may collect the generation-skipping transfer
tax under RCW 83.100.045, including interest and penalties, and shall
represent this state in all matters pertaining to the same, either
before courts or in any other manner. At any time after the Washington
return is due, the department may file its findings regarding the
amount of the tax, the federal credit, the person required to file the
federal return, and all persons having an interest in property subject
to the tax with the clerk of the superior court in the matter of the
trust or the estate of the decedent, if any, or, if no trust, probate
or administration proceedings have been commenced in any court of this
state, of any superior court which has jurisdiction over the property.
Such a court first acquiring jurisdiction shall retain jurisdiction to
the exclusion of every other court.))
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 A new
section is added to chapter 83.100
RCW to read as follows:
(1) If the federal taxable estate on the federal return is
determined by making an election under section 2056 or 2056A of the
Internal Revenue Code, or if no federal return is required to be filed,
the department may provide by rule for a separate election on the
Washington return, consistent with section 2056 or 2056A of the
Internal Revenue Code, for the purpose of determining the amount of tax
due under this chapter. The election shall be binding on the estate
and the beneficiaries, consistent with the Internal Revenue Code. All
other elections or valuations on the Washington return shall be made in
a manner consistent with the federal return, if a federal return is
required, and such rules as the department may provide.
(2) Amounts deducted for federal income tax purposes under section
642(g) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, shall not be allowed as
deductions in computing the amount of tax due under this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 A new section is added to chapter 83.100
RCW to read as follows:
(1) If upon examination of any returns or from other information
obtained by the department it appears that a tax or penalty has been
paid less than that properly due, the department shall assess against
the taxpayer an additional amount found to be due and shall add
interest as provided in RCW 83.100.070 on the tax only. The department
shall notify the taxpayer by mail of the additional amount, and the
additional amount shall become due and shall be paid within thirty days
from the date of the notice, or within such further time as the
department may provide.
(2) Interest shall be computed from the original due date of the
Washington return until the due date of the notice. If payment in full
is not made by the due date of the notice, additional interest shall be
computed until the date of payment.
(3) No assessment or correction of an assessment for additional
taxes, penalties, or interest due may be made by the department more
than four years after the close of the calendar year in which a
Washington return is due under this chapter, including any extension of
time for filing, except upon a showing of fraud or of misrepresentation
of a material fact by the taxpayer or as provided under subsection (4)
or (5) of this section or as otherwise provided in this chapter.
(4) For persons liable for tax under RCW 83.100.120, the period for
assessment or correction of an assessment shall extend an additional
three years beyond the period described in subsection (3) of this
section.
(5) A taxpayer may extend the periods of limitation under
subsection (3) or (4) of this section by executing a written waiver.
The execution of the waiver shall also extend the period for making a
refund as provided in RCW 83.100.130.
Sec. 15 RCW 83.100.210 and 1996 c 149 s 18 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The following provisions of chapter 82.32 RCW have full force
and application with respect to the taxes imposed under this chapter
unless the context clearly requires otherwise: RCW 82.32.110,
82.32.120, 82.32.130, 82.32.320, and 82.32.340. The definitions in
this chapter have full force and application with respect to the
application of chapter 82.32 RCW to this chapter unless the context
clearly requires otherwise.
(2) The department may enter into closing agreements as provided in
RCW 82.32.350 and 82.32.360.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16 A new section is added to chapter 83.100
RCW to read as follows:
All receipts from taxes, penalties, interest, and fees collected
under this chapter must be deposited into the education legacy trust
account.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17 The following acts or parts of acts are
each repealed:
(1) RCW 83.100.030 (Residents -- Estate tax imposed -- Credit for tax
paid other state) and 1988 c 64 s 3 & 1981 2nd ex.s. c 7 s 83.100.030;
and
(2) RCW 83.100.045 (Generation-skipping transfers -- Tax imposed -- Credit for tax paid to another state) and 1988 c 64 s 5.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 18 The repealed sections in section 17 of this
act do not affect any existing right acquired or liability or
obligation incurred under the statutes repealed or under any rule or
order adopted under those statutes nor do they affect any proceeding
instituted under them.
Sec. 19 RCW 83.100.010 and 1988 c 64 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
This chapter may be cited as the "Estate and Transfer Tax Act ((of
1988))."
NEW SECTION. Sec. 20 This act applies prospectively only and not
retroactively. Sections 2 through 17 of this act apply only to estates
of decedents dying on or after the effective date of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 21 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 22 This act is necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the
state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect
immediately.