SHB 2762 -
By Representative Orcutt
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 82.32 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Unless otherwise provided by statute, any tax preference that
is passed by the legislature after the effective date of this section:
(a) Requires the beneficiaries of the tax preference to file a
complete annual survey with the department under RCW 82.32.585 if the
beneficiary is a business required to be registered with the
department;
(b)(i) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, expires on
the date that is ten years after the date the tax preference became
effective. However, if the date that is ten years after the date the
tax preference became effective is not the first day of a fiscal year,
the tax preference expires on the first day of the next fiscal year.
(ii) If a tax preference is a property tax exemption and the date
that is ten years after the date the exemption became effective is not
the first day of a calendar year, the exemption expires on the first
day of the next calendar year; and
(c) Requires a statement of legislative intent describing the
context making the tax preference necessary and providing clear and
measurable public policy objectives.
(2) For purposes of subsection (1) of this section:
(a) Except as provided in this subsection (2)(a), the beneficiary
of a tax preference is the taxpayer entitled to claim the tax
preference. However, when the ability of a taxpayer to claim a tax
preference is conditioned in this title on the taxpayer passing the
economic benefit of that tax preference to someone else, the individual
or entity receiving the economic benefit of the tax preference is the
beneficiary of the tax preference, not the taxpayer.
(b) "Tax preference that is passed by the legislature" does not
include the continuation or expansion of any tax preference originally
enacted by the legislature on or before the effective date of this
section. For purposes of this subsection (2)(b):
(i) "Continuation" means that the legislature has taken affirmative
action to eliminate or extend an expiration date or otherwise extend
the effective period for claiming a tax preference; and
(ii) "Expansion" means that the legislature has made a change to a
tax preference that either increases the number of persons eligible for
the tax preference or reduces state tax revenue or the amount of
taxable property on the property tax rolls, even if fewer taxpayers
will be eligible to claim the tax preference. For purposes of this
subsection (2)(b)(ii), the department is responsible for determining
whether a change to a tax preference constitutes an expansion and is
based on the department's estimate of the impact of the change as
reflected in the department's final fiscal note for the legislation
that changed the tax preference or in the department's workpapers for
such fiscal note. However, if the department did not prepare a fiscal
note for the legislation that changed the tax preference or the
department is unable to determine from the fiscal note whether the
change constitutes an expansion of the tax preference, the department
must perform an estimate of the impact of the change within ninety days
following the effective date of the change to determine whether the
change constitutes an expansion of the tax preference.
(3) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Fiscal year" means the year beginning July 1st and ending the
following June 30th.
(b) "Tax preference" means the following tax benefits for any state
tax administered by the department, including property taxes levied by
the state: Exemptions, including exemptions in the form of a
remittance or refund of tax paid; deductions; credits; deferrals; or
reduced tax rates.
Sec. 2 RCW 82.32.585 and 2011 c 23 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1)(a) Unless the department extends the due date as provided in
RCW 82.32.590, every person claiming a tax preference that requires a
survey under this section must file a complete annual survey with the
department by the due date as provided in (b) of this subsection.
(b)(i) Except as provided in (((a))) (b)(ii) of this subsection,
the survey is due by April 30th of the year following any calendar year
in which a person becomes eligible to claim the tax preference that
requires a survey under this section. If a person remains eligible to
claim a tax preference in subsequent calendar years, the person must
file additional surveys by April 30th of each year following each
calendar year that the person remains eligible to claim the tax
preference.
(ii) If the tax preference is a deferral of tax, the first survey
must be filed by April 30th of the calendar year following the calendar
year in which the investment project is certified by the department as
operationally complete, and a survey must be filed by April 30th of
each of the seven succeeding calendar years.
(((b) The department may extend the due date for timely filing of
annual surveys under this section as provided in RCW 82.32.590.))
(2)(((a))) The survey must include information as required in this
subsection for the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which
the survey is due.
(a)(i) The amount of the tax preference claimed ((for the calendar
year covered by)) must be reported on the survey.
(ii) For a person that claimed an exemption provided in RCW
82.08.025651 or 82.12.025651, the survey must include the amount of tax
exempted under those sections in the prior calendar year for each
general area or category of research and development for which exempt
machinery and equipment and labor and services were acquired in the
prior calendar year.
(b) The survey must also include the following information for
employment positions in Washington, not to include names of
employees((, for the year that the tax preference was claimed)):
(i) The number of total employment positions;
(ii) Full-time, part-time, and temporary employment positions as a
percent of total employment;
(iii) The number of employment positions according to the following
wage bands: Less than thirty thousand dollars; thirty thousand dollars
or greater, but less than sixty thousand dollars; and sixty thousand
dollars or greater. A wage band containing fewer than three
individuals may be combined with another wage band; and
(iv) The number of employment positions that have employer-provided
medical, dental, and retirement benefits, by each of the wage bands.
(c) For persons claiming the tax preference provided under chapter
82.60 or 82.63 RCW, the survey must also include the number of new
products or research projects by general classification, and the number
of trademarks, patents, and copyrights associated with activities at
the investment project.
(d) For persons claiming the credit provided under RCW 82.04.4452,
the survey must also include the qualified research and development
expenditures ((during the calendar year for which the credit was
claimed)), the taxable amount ((during the calendar year for which the
credit was claimed)), the number of new products or research projects
by general classification, the number of trademarks, patents, and
copyrights associated with the research and development activities for
which the credit was claimed, and whether the tax preference has been
assigned, and who assigned the credit. The definitions in RCW
82.04.4452 apply to this subsection (2)(d).
(e) For persons claiming the tax exemption in RCW 82.08.025651 or
82.12.025651, the survey must also include the general areas or
categories of research and development for which machinery and
equipment and labor and services were acquired, exempt from tax under
RCW 82.08.025651 or 82.12.025651((, in the prior calendar year)).
(f) If the person filing a survey under this section did not file
a survey under this section with the department in the previous
calendar year, the survey filed under this section must also include
the employment, wage, and benefit information required under (b)(i)
through (iv) of this subsection for the calendar year immediately
preceding the calendar year for which a tax preference was claimed.
(3) As part of the annual survey, the department may request
additional information necessary to measure the results of, or
determine eligibility for, the tax preference.
(4)(a) All information collected under this section, except the
information required in subsection (2)(a) of this section, is deemed
taxpayer information under RCW 82.32.330. Information required in
subsection (2)(a) of this section is not subject to the confidentiality
provisions of RCW 82.32.330 and may be disclosed to the public upon
request, except as provided in subsection (5) of this section.
(b) If the amount of the tax preference claimed as reported on the
survey is different than the amount actually claimed or otherwise
allowed by the department based on the taxpayer's excise tax returns or
other information known to the department, the amount actually claimed
or allowed may be disclosed.
(5) Persons for whom the actual amount of the tax reduced or saved
is less than ten thousand dollars during the period covered by the
survey ((may request the department to treat the amount of the tax
reduction or savings as confidential under RCW 82.32.330)) are not
required to file an annual survey for the period.
(6)(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, if a person claims a
tax preference that requires an annual survey under this section but
fails to submit a complete annual survey by the due date of the survey
or any extension under RCW 82.32.590, the department must declare the
amount of the tax preference claimed for the previous calendar year to
be immediately due. If the tax preference is a deferral of tax, twelve
and one-half percent of the deferred tax is immediately due. If the
economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee, the lessee is
responsible for payment to the extent the lessee has received the
economic benefit.
(b) The department must assess interest, but not penalties, on the
amounts due under this subsection. The interest must be assessed at
the rate provided for delinquent taxes under this chapter,
retroactively to the date the tax preference was claimed, and accrues
until the taxes for which the tax preference was claimed are repaid.
Amounts due under this subsection are not subject to the
confidentiality provisions of RCW 82.32.330 and may be disclosed to the
public upon request.
(7) The department must use the information from this section to
prepare summary descriptive statistics by category. No fewer than
three taxpayers may be included in any category. The department must
report ((these)) summary descriptive statistics to the legislature each
year by ((October)) December 1st.
(8) For the purposes of this section:
(a) "Person" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.04.030 and also
includes the state and its departments and institutions.
(b) "Tax preference" has the meaning provided in RCW 43.136.021 and
includes only the tax preferences requiring a survey under this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 RCW 82.32.534 (Annual report requirement for
tax preferences) and 2010 c 114 s 103 are each repealed.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 82.32 RCW
to read as follows:
For the purposes of this title and Title 84 RCW, "annual report"
means the annual survey required under RCW 82.32.585."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Strikes the bill except for the provisions: Consolidating the annual accountability reports, exempting taxpayers claiming taxpayer savings of less than $10,000 from the annual survey requirement, and requiring a statement of legislative intent for all new tax preferences. Requires taxpayers to file an annual survey for all new tax preferences. Expires all new tax preferences ten years after enactment.