BILL REQ. #:  S-4262.1 

Read first time 01/15/08.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     AN ACT Relating to providing that certain popcorn mixtures are not prepared food for sales and use tax purposes; and amending RCW 82.08.0293.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.08.0293 and 2004 c 153 s 201 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 shall not apply to sales of food and food ingredients. "Food and food ingredients" means substances, whether in liquid, concentrated, solid, frozen, dried, or dehydrated form, that are sold for ingestion or chewing by humans and are consumed for their taste or nutritional value. "Food and food ingredients" does not include:
     (a) "Alcoholic beverages," which means beverages that are suitable for human consumption and contain one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume; and
     (b) "Tobacco," which means cigarettes, cigars, chewing or pipe tobacco, or any other item that contains tobacco.
     (2) The exemption of "food and food ingredients" provided for in subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to prepared food, soft drinks, or dietary supplements.
     (a) "Prepared food" means:
     (i) Food sold in a heated state or heated by the seller;
     (ii) Food sold with eating utensils provided by the seller, including plates, knives, forks, spoons, glasses, cups, napkins, or straws. A plate does not include a container or packaging used to transport the food; or
     (iii) Two or more food ingredients mixed or combined by the seller for sale as a single item, except:
     (A) Food that is only cut, repackaged, or pasteurized by the seller; or
     (B) Popcorn that is mixed with two or more ingredients; or
     (C) Raw eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and foods containing these raw animal foods requiring cooking by the consumer as recommended by the federal food and drug administration in chapter 3, part 401.11 of The Food Code, published by the food and drug administration, as amended or renumbered as of January 1, 2003, so as to prevent foodborne illness.
     (b) "Prepared food" does not include the following food or food ingredients, if the food or food ingredients are sold without eating utensils provided by the seller:
     (i) Food sold by a seller whose proper primary North American industry classification system (NAICS) classification is manufacturing in sector 311, except subsector 3118 (bakeries), as provided in the "North American industry classification system -- United States, 2002";
     (ii) Food sold in an unheated state by weight or volume as a single item; or
     (iii) Bakery items. The term "bakery items" includes bread, rolls, buns, biscuits, bagels, croissants, pastries, donuts, Danish, cakes, tortes, pies, tarts, muffins, bars, cookies, or tortillas.
     (c) "Soft drinks" means nonalcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners. Soft drinks do not include beverages that contain: Milk or milk products; soy, rice, or similar milk substitutes; or greater than fifty percent of vegetable or fruit juice by volume.
     (d) "Dietary supplement" means any product, other than tobacco, intended to supplement the diet that:
     (i) Contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients:
     (A) A vitamin;
     (B) A mineral;
     (C) An herb or other botanical;
     (D) An amino acid;
     (E) A dietary substance for use by humans to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or
     (F) A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described in this subsection;
     (ii) Is intended for ingestion in tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, or liquid form, or if not intended for ingestion in such form, is not represented as conventional food and is not represented for use as a sole item of a meal or of the diet; and
     (iii) Is required to be labeled as a dietary supplement, identifiable by the "supplement facts" box found on the label as required pursuant to 21 C.F.R. Sec. 101.36, as amended or renumbered as of January 1, 2003.
     (3) Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, the exemption of "food and food ingredients" provided in this section shall apply to food and food ingredients that are furnished, prepared, or served as meals:
     (a) Under a state administered nutrition program for the aged as provided for in the Older Americans Act (P.L. 95-478 Title III) and RCW 74.38.040(6); or
     (b) That are provided to senior citizens, disabled persons, or low-income persons by a not-for-profit organization organized under chapter 24.03 or 24.12 RCW.
     (4)(a) Subsection (1) of this section notwithstanding, the retail sale of food and food ingredients is subject to sales tax under RCW 82.08.020 if the food and food ingredients are sold through a vending machine, and in this case the selling price for purposes of RCW 82.08.020 is fifty-seven percent of the gross receipts.
     (b) This subsection (4) does not apply to hot prepared food and food ingredients, other than food and food ingredients which are heated after they have been dispensed from the vending machine.
     (c) For tax collected under this subsection (4), the requirements that the tax be collected from the buyer and that the amount of tax be stated as a separate item are waived.