BILL REQ. #:  S-0356.3 



_____________________________________________ 

SENATE BILL 5167
_____________________________________________
State of Washington62nd Legislature2011 Regular Session

By Senators Schoesler, Murray, Honeyford, Pridemore, Kilmer, and Tom

Read first time 01/17/11.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.



     AN ACT Relating to tax statute clarifications and technical corrections; amending RCW 82.04.290, 82.04.645, 82.08.0297, 82.12.0297, 84.36.381, 84.36.385, 35.102.150, 82.04.460, 82.08.806, 82.08.820, 82.08.820, 82.32.665, and 82.32.117; amending 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 101 (uncodified); reenacting and amending RCW 82.04.050 and 82.32.330; reenacting RCW 82.04.2909, 82.04.4481, 82.08.805, 82.12.022, 82.12.805, and 82.32.590; creating a new section; repealing RCW 82.32.115; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

PART I
MISCELLANEOUS TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Sec. 101   RCW 82.04.290 and 2008 c 81 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Upon every person engaging within this state in the business of providing international investment management services, as to such persons, the amount of tax with respect to such business shall be equal to the gross income or gross proceeds of sales of the business multiplied by a rate of 0.275 percent.
     (2)(a) Upon every person engaging within this state in any business activity other than or in addition to an activity taxed explicitly under another section in this chapter or subsection (1) or (3) of this section; as to such persons the amount of tax on account of such activities shall be equal to the gross income of the business multiplied by the rate of 1.5 percent.
     (b) This subsection (2) includes, among others, and without limiting the scope hereof (whether or not title to materials used in the performance of such business passes to another by accession, confusion or other than by outright sale), persons engaged in the business of rendering any type of service which does not constitute a "sale at retail" or a "sale at wholesale." The value of advertising, demonstration, and promotional supplies and materials furnished to an agent by his principal or supplier to be used for informational, educational and promotional purposes shall not be considered a part of the agent's remuneration or commission and shall not be subject to taxation under this section.
     (3)(a) Until July 1, 2024, upon every person engaging within this state in the business of performing aerospace product development for others, as to such persons, the amount of tax with respect to such business shall be equal to the gross income of the business multiplied by a rate of 0.9 percent.
     (b) "Aerospace product development" has the meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.4461.

Sec. 102   RCW 82.04.645 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 110 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) This chapter does not apply to amounts received by a financial institution from an affiliated person if the amounts are received from transactions that are required to be at arm's length under sections 23A or 23B of the federal reserve act as existing on June 1, 2010, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the department by rule, consistent with the purposes of this section. For purposes of this subsection, "financial institution" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.04.080.
     (2) As used in this section, "affiliated" means under common control. "((Common)) Control" means the possession, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract, or otherwise.

Sec. 103   RCW 82.08.0297 and 1998 c 79 s 18 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 ((shall)) does not apply to sales of eligible foods ((which)) that are purchased with ((coupons issued under the food stamp act of 1977 or food stamp or coupon benefits transferred electronically)) benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program or successor program, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in RCW 82.08.0293.
     (2) When a purchase of eligible foods is made with a combination of ((coupons issued under the food stamp act of 1977 or food stamp or coupon benefits transferred electronically)) benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program or successor program and cash, check, or similar payment, the cash, check, or similar payment ((shall)) must be applied first to food products exempt from tax under RCW 82.08.0293 whenever possible.
     (3) As used in this section((,)):
     (a)
"Eligible foods" ((shall have the same meaning as that established under federal law for purposes of the food stamp act of 1977)) means foods that are eligible for purchase with benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program or successor program.
     (b) "Supplemental nutrition assistance program" refers to a food assistance program that is administered, at the federal level, by the United States department of agriculture, and was formerly known as the food stamp program
.

Sec. 104   RCW 82.12.0297 and 1998 c 79 s 19 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The provisions of this chapter ((shall)) do not apply with respect to the use of eligible foods ((which)) that are purchased with ((coupons issued under the food stamp act of 1977 or food stamp or coupon benefits transferred electronically)) benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program or successor program, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in RCW 82.12.0293.
     ((As used in this section, "eligible foods" shall have the same meaning as that established under federal law for purposes of the food stamp act of 1977.)) (2) The definitions in RCW 82.08.0297 apply to this section.

Sec. 105   RCW 84.36.381 and 2010 c 106 s 306 are each amended to read as follows:
     A person is exempt from any legal obligation to pay all or a portion of the amount of excess and regular real property taxes due and payable in the year following the year in which a claim is filed, and thereafter, in accordance with the following:
     (1) The property taxes must have been imposed upon a residence which was occupied by the person claiming the exemption as a principal place of residence as of the time of filing. However, any person who sells, transfers, or is displaced from his or her residence may transfer his or her exemption status to a replacement residence, but no claimant may receive an exemption on more than one residence in any year. Moreover, confinement of the person to a hospital, nursing home, boarding home, or adult family home does not disqualify the claim of exemption if:
     (a) The residence is temporarily unoccupied;
     (b) The residence is occupied by a spouse or a domestic partner and/or a person financially dependent on the claimant for support; or
     (c) The residence is rented for the purpose of paying nursing home, hospital, boarding home, or adult family home costs;
     (2) The person claiming the exemption must have owned, at the time of filing, in fee, as a life estate, or by contract purchase, the residence on which the property taxes have been imposed or if the person claiming the exemption lives in a cooperative housing association, corporation, or partnership, such person must own a share therein representing the unit or portion of the structure in which he or she resides. For purposes of this subsection, a residence owned by a marital community or state registered domestic partnership or owned by cotenants is deemed to be owned by each spouse or each domestic partner or each cotenant, and any lease for life is deemed a life estate;
     (3)(a) The person claiming the exemption must be (((a))):
     (i) S
ixty-one years of age or older on December 31st of the year in which the exemption claim is filed, or must have been, at the time of filing, retired from regular gainful employment by reason of disability((,)); or
     (((b))) (ii) A veteran of the armed forces of the United States ((with one hundred percent service-connected disability as provided in 42 U.S.C. Sec. 423 (d)(1)(A) as amended prior to January 1, 2005, or such subsequent date as the department may provide by rule consistent with the purpose of this section)) entitled to and receiving compensation from the United States department of veterans affairs at a total disability rating for a service-connected disability.
     (b) However, any surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner of a person who was receiving an exemption at the time of the person's death will qualify if the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner is fifty-seven years of age or older and otherwise meets the requirements of this section;
     (4) The amount that the person is exempt from an obligation to pay is calculated on the basis of combined disposable income, as defined in RCW 84.36.383. If the person claiming the exemption was retired for two months or more of the assessment year, the combined disposable income of such person must be calculated by multiplying the average monthly combined disposable income of such person during the months such person was retired by twelve. If the income of the person claiming exemption is reduced for two or more months of the assessment year by reason of the death of the person's spouse or the person's domestic partner, or when other substantial changes occur in disposable income that are likely to continue for an indefinite period of time, the combined disposable income of such person must be calculated by multiplying the average monthly combined disposable income of such person after such occurrences by twelve. If it is necessary to estimate income to comply with this subsection, the assessor may require confirming documentation of such income prior to May 31 of the year following application;
     (5)(a) A person who otherwise qualifies under this section and has a combined disposable income of thirty-five thousand dollars or less is exempt from all excess property taxes; and
     (b)(i) A person who otherwise qualifies under this section and has a combined disposable income of thirty thousand dollars or less but greater than twenty-five thousand dollars is exempt from all regular property taxes on the greater of fifty thousand dollars or thirty-five percent of the valuation of his or her residence, but not to exceed seventy thousand dollars of the valuation of his or her residence; or
     (ii) A person who otherwise qualifies under this section and has a combined disposable income of twenty-five thousand dollars or less is exempt from all regular property taxes on the greater of sixty thousand dollars or sixty percent of the valuation of his or her residence;
     (6)(a) For a person who otherwise qualifies under this section and has a combined disposable income of thirty-five thousand dollars or less, the valuation of the residence is the assessed value of the residence on the later of January 1, 1995, or January 1st of the assessment year the person first qualifies under this section. If the person subsequently fails to qualify under this section only for one year because of high income, this same valuation must be used upon requalification. If the person fails to qualify for more than one year in succession because of high income or fails to qualify for any other reason, the valuation upon requalification is the assessed value on January 1st of the assessment year in which the person requalifies. If the person transfers the exemption under this section to a different residence, the valuation of the different residence is the assessed value of the different residence on January 1st of the assessment year in which the person transfers the exemption.
     (b) In no event may the valuation under this subsection be greater than the true and fair value of the residence on January 1st of the assessment year.
     (c) This subsection does not apply to subsequent improvements to the property in the year in which the improvements are made. Subsequent improvements to the property must be added to the value otherwise determined under this subsection at their true and fair value in the year in which they are made.

Sec. 106   RCW 84.36.385 and 2010 c 106 s 308 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A claim for exemption under RCW 84.36.381 as now or hereafter amended, may be made and filed at any time during the year for exemption from taxes payable the following year and thereafter and solely upon forms as prescribed and furnished by the department of revenue. However, an exemption from tax under RCW 84.36.381 continues for no more than six years unless a renewal application is filed as provided in subsection (3) of this section. ((The county assessor may also require, by written notice, a renewal application following an amendment of the income requirements set forth in RCW 84.36.381. Renewal applications must be on forms prescribed and furnished by the department of revenue.))
     (2) A person granted an exemption under RCW 84.36.381 must inform the county assessor of any change in status affecting the person's entitlement to the exemption on forms prescribed and furnished by the department of revenue.
     (3) Each person exempt from taxes under RCW 84.36.381 in 1993 and thereafter, must file with the county assessor a renewal application not later than December 31 of the year the assessor notifies such person of the requirement to file the renewal application. Renewal applications must be on forms prescribed and furnished by the department of revenue.
     (4) ((Beginning in 1992 and in each of the three succeeding years,)) At least once every six years, the county assessor must notify ((approximately one-fourth of)) those persons ((exempt)) receiving an exemption from taxes under RCW 84.36.381 ((in the current year who have not filed a renewal application within the previous four years,)) of the requirement to file a renewal application. The county assessor may also require a renewal application following an amendment of the income requirements set forth in RCW 84.36.381.
     (5) If the assessor finds that the applicant does not meet the qualifications as set forth in RCW 84.36.381, as now or hereafter amended, the claim or exemption must be denied but such denial is subject to appeal under the provisions of RCW 84.48.010 and in accordance with the provisions of RCW 84.40.038. If the applicant had received exemption in prior years based on erroneous information, the taxes must be collected subject to penalties as provided in RCW 84.40.130 for a period of not to exceed five years.
     (6) The department and each local assessor is hereby directed to publicize the qualifications and manner of making claims under RCW 84.36.381 through 84.36.389, through communications media, including such paid advertisements or notices as it deems appropriate. Notice of the qualifications, method of making applications, the penalties for not reporting a change in status, and availability of further information must be included on or with property tax statements and revaluation notices for all residential property including mobile homes, except rental properties.

PART II
UPDATING STATUTORY REFERENCES

Sec. 201   RCW 35.102.150 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 519 are each amended to read as follows:
     Notwithstanding RCW 35.102.130, a city that imposes a business and occupation tax must allocate a person's gross income from the activities of printing, and of publishing newspapers, periodicals, or magazines, to the principal place in this state from which the taxpayer's business is directed or managed. As used in this section, the activities of printing, and of publishing newspapers, periodicals, or magazines are those activities to which the tax rates in RCW 82.04.260(13) and 82.04.280(1)(a) apply.

Sec. 202   RCW 82.04.050 and 2010 c 112 s 14, 2010 c 111 s 201, and 2010 c 106 s 202 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) "Sale at retail" or "retail sale" means every sale of tangible personal property (including articles produced, fabricated, or imprinted) to all persons irrespective of the nature of their business and including, among others, without limiting the scope hereof, persons who install, repair, clean, alter, improve, construct, or decorate real or personal property of or for consumers other than a sale to a person who:
     (i) Purchases for the purpose of resale as tangible personal property in the regular course of business without intervening use by such person, but a purchase for the purpose of resale by a regional transit authority under RCW 81.112.300 is not a sale for resale; or
     (ii) Installs, repairs, cleans, alters, imprints, improves, constructs, or decorates real or personal property of or for consumers, if such tangible personal property becomes an ingredient or component of such real or personal property without intervening use by such person; or
     (iii) Purchases for the purpose of consuming the property purchased in producing for sale as a new article of tangible personal property or substance, of which such property becomes an ingredient or component or is a chemical used in processing, when the primary purpose of such chemical is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of a new article being produced for sale; or
     (iv) Purchases for the purpose of consuming the property purchased in producing ferrosilicon which is subsequently used in producing magnesium for sale, if the primary purpose of such property is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of ferrosilicon; or
     (v) Purchases for the purpose of providing the property to consumers as part of competitive telephone service, as defined in RCW 82.04.065; or
     (vi) Purchases for the purpose of satisfying the person's obligations under an extended warranty as defined in subsection (7) of this section, if such tangible personal property replaces or becomes an ingredient or component of property covered by the extended warranty without intervening use by such person.
     (b) The term includes every sale of tangible personal property that is used or consumed or to be used or consumed in the performance of any activity defined as a "sale at retail" or "retail sale" even though such property is resold or used as provided in (a)(i) through (vi) of this subsection following such use.
     (c) The term also means every sale of tangible personal property to persons engaged in any business that is taxable under RCW 82.04.280 (1)((, (2), and (7))) (a), (b), and (g), 82.04.290, and 82.04.2908.
     (2) The term "sale at retail" or "retail sale" includes the sale of or charge made for tangible personal property consumed and/or for labor and services rendered in respect to the following:
     (a) The installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, imprinting, or improving of tangible personal property of or for consumers, including charges made for the mere use of facilities in respect thereto, but excluding charges made for the use of self-service laundry facilities, and also excluding sales of laundry service to nonprofit health care facilities, and excluding services rendered in respect to live animals, birds and insects;
     (b) The constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving of new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for consumers, including the installing or attaching of any article of tangible personal property therein or thereto, whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by virtue of installation, and also includes the sale of services or charges made for the clearing of land and the moving of earth excepting the mere leveling of land used in commercial farming or agriculture;
     (c) The constructing, repairing, or improving of any structure upon, above, or under any real property owned by an owner who conveys the property by title, possession, or any other means to the person performing such construction, repair, or improvement for the purpose of performing such construction, repair, or improvement and the property is then reconveyed by title, possession, or any other means to the original owner;
     (d) The cleaning, fumigating, razing, or moving of existing buildings or structures, but does not include the charge made for janitorial services; and for purposes of this section the term "janitorial services" means those cleaning and caretaking services ordinarily performed by commercial janitor service businesses including, but not limited to, wall and window washing, floor cleaning and waxing, and the cleaning in place of rugs, drapes and upholstery. The term "janitorial services" does not include painting, papering, repairing, furnace or septic tank cleaning, snow removal or sandblasting;
     (e) Automobile towing and similar automotive transportation services, but not in respect to those required to report and pay taxes under chapter 82.16 RCW;
     (f) The furnishing of lodging and all other services by a hotel, rooming house, tourist court, motel, trailer camp, and the granting of any similar license to use real property, as distinguished from the renting or leasing of real property, and it is presumed that the occupancy of real property for a continuous period of one month or more constitutes a rental or lease of real property and not a mere license to use or enjoy the same. For the purposes of this subsection, it is presumed that the sale of and charge made for the furnishing of lodging for a continuous period of one month or more to a person is a rental or lease of real property and not a mere license to enjoy the same;
     (g) The installing, repairing, altering, or improving of digital goods for consumers;
     (h) Persons taxable under (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) of this subsection when such sales or charges are for property, labor and services which are used or consumed in whole or in part by such persons in the performance of any activity defined as a "sale at retail" or "retail sale" even though such property, labor and services may be resold after such use or consumption. Nothing contained in this subsection may be construed to modify subsection (1) of this section and nothing contained in subsection (1) of this section may be construed to modify this subsection.
     (3) The term "sale at retail" or "retail sale" includes the sale of or charge made for personal, business, or professional services including amounts designated as interest, rents, fees, admission, and other service emoluments however designated, received by persons engaging in the following business activities:
     (a) Amusement and recreation services including but not limited to golf, pool, billiards, skating, bowling, ski lifts and tows, day trips for sightseeing purposes, and others, when provided to consumers;
     (b) Abstract, title insurance, and escrow services;
     (c) Credit bureau services;
     (d) Automobile parking and storage garage services;
     (e) Landscape maintenance and horticultural services but excluding (i) horticultural services provided to farmers and (ii) pruning, trimming, repairing, removing, and clearing of trees and brush near electric transmission or distribution lines or equipment, if performed by or at the direction of an electric utility;
     (f) Service charges associated with tickets to professional sporting events; and
     (g) The following personal services: Physical fitness services, tanning salon services, tattoo parlor services, steam bath services, turkish bath services, escort services, and dating services.
     (4)(a) The term also includes the renting or leasing of tangible personal property to consumers.
     (b) The term does not include the renting or leasing of tangible personal property where the lease or rental is for the purpose of sublease or subrent.
     (5) The term also includes the providing of "competitive telephone service," "telecommunications service," or "ancillary services," as those terms are defined in RCW 82.04.065, to consumers.
     (6)(a) The term also includes the sale of prewritten computer software to a consumer, regardless of the method of delivery to the end user. For purposes of this subsection (6)(a), the sale of prewritten computer software includes the sale of or charge made for a key or an enabling or activation code, where the key or code is required to activate prewritten computer software and put the software into use. There is no separate sale of the key or code from the prewritten computer software, regardless of how the sale may be characterized by the vendor or by the purchaser.
     The term "retail sale" does not include the sale of or charge made for:
     (i) Custom software; or
     (ii) The customization of prewritten computer software.
     (b)(i) The term also includes the charge made to consumers for the right to access and use prewritten computer software, where possession of the software is maintained by the seller or a third party, regardless of whether the charge for the service is on a per use, per user, per license, subscription, or some other basis.
     (ii)(A) The service described in (b)(i) of this subsection (6) includes the right to access and use prewritten computer software to perform data processing.
     (B) For purposes of this subsection (6)(b)(ii), "data processing" means the systematic performance of operations on data to extract the required information in an appropriate form or to convert the data to usable information. Data processing includes check processing, image processing, form processing, survey processing, payroll processing, claim processing, and similar activities.
     (7) The term also includes the sale of or charge made for an extended warranty to a consumer. For purposes of this subsection, "extended warranty" means an agreement for a specified duration to perform the replacement or repair of tangible personal property at no additional charge or a reduced charge for tangible personal property, labor, or both, or to provide indemnification for the replacement or repair of tangible personal property, based on the occurrence of specified events. The term "extended warranty" does not include an agreement, otherwise meeting the definition of extended warranty in this subsection, if no separate charge is made for the agreement and the value of the agreement is included in the sales price of the tangible personal property covered by the agreement. For purposes of this subsection, "sales price" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.08.010.
     (8)(a) The term also includes the following sales to consumers of digital goods, digital codes, and digital automated services:
     (i) Sales in which the seller has granted the purchaser the right of permanent use;
     (ii) Sales in which the seller has granted the purchaser a right of use that is less than permanent;
     (iii) Sales in which the purchaser is not obligated to make continued payment as a condition of the sale; and
     (iv) Sales in which the purchaser is obligated to make continued payment as a condition of the sale.
     (b) A retail sale of digital goods, digital codes, or digital automated services under this subsection (8) includes any services provided by the seller exclusively in connection with the digital goods, digital codes, or digital automated services, whether or not a separate charge is made for such services.
     (c) For purposes of this subsection, "permanent" means perpetual or for an indefinite or unspecified length of time. A right of permanent use is presumed to have been granted unless the agreement between the seller and the purchaser specifies or the circumstances surrounding the transaction suggest or indicate that the right to use terminates on the occurrence of a condition subsequent.
     (9) The term also includes the charge made for providing tangible personal property along with an operator for a fixed or indeterminate period of time. A consideration of this is that the operator is necessary for the tangible personal property to perform as designed. For the purpose of this subsection (9), an operator must do more than maintain, inspect, or set up the tangible personal property.
     (10) The term does not include the sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to the building, repairing, or improving of any street, place, road, highway, easement, right-of-way, mass public transportation terminal or parking facility, bridge, tunnel, or trestle which is owned by a municipal corporation or political subdivision of the state or by the United States and which is used or to be used primarily for foot or vehicular traffic including mass transportation vehicles of any kind.
     (11) The term also does not include sales of chemical sprays or washes to persons for the purpose of postharvest treatment of fruit for the prevention of scald, fungus, mold, or decay, nor does it include sales of feed, seed, seedlings, fertilizer, agents for enhanced pollination including insects such as bees, and spray materials to: (a) Persons who participate in the federal conservation reserve program, the environmental quality incentives program, the wetlands reserve program, and the wildlife habitat incentives program, or their successors administered by the United States department of agriculture; (b) farmers for the purpose of producing for sale any agricultural product; and (c) farmers acting under cooperative habitat development or access contracts with an organization exempt from federal income tax under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code or the Washington state department of fish and wildlife to produce or improve wildlife habitat on land that the farmer owns or leases.
     (12) The term does not include the sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to the constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving of new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW, including the installing, or attaching of any article of tangible personal property therein or thereto, whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by virtue of installation. Nor does the term include the sale of services or charges made for the clearing of land and the moving of earth of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority. Nor does the term include the sale of services or charges made for cleaning up for the United States, or its instrumentalities, radioactive waste and other by-products of weapons production and nuclear research and development.
     (13) The term does not include the sale of or charge made for labor, services, or tangible personal property pursuant to agreements providing maintenance services for bus, rail, or rail fixed guideway equipment when a regional transit authority is the recipient of the labor, services, or tangible personal property, and a transit agency, as defined in RCW 81.104.015, performs the labor or services.
     (14) The term does not include the sale for resale of any service described in this section if the sale would otherwise constitute a "sale at retail" and "retail sale" under this section.

Sec. 203   RCW 82.04.460 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 108 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any person earning apportionable income taxable under this chapter and also taxable in another state((,)) must, for the purpose of computing tax liability under this chapter, apportion to this state, in accordance with RCW 82.04.462, that portion of the person's apportionable income derived from business activities performed within this state.
     (2) The department must by rule provide a method of apportioning the apportionable income of financial institutions, where such apportionable income is taxable under RCW 82.04.290. The rule adopted by the department must, to the extent feasible, be consistent with the multistate tax commission's recommended formula for the apportionment and allocation of net income of financial institutions as existing on June 1, 2010, or such subsequent date as may be provided by the department by rule, consistent with the purposes of this section, except that:
     (a) The department's rule must provide for a single factor apportionment method based on the receipts factor; and
     (b) The definition of "financial institution" contained in appendix A to the multistate tax commission's recommended formula for the apportionment and allocation of net income of financial institutions is advisory only.
     (3) The department may by rule provide a method or methods of apportioning or allocating gross income derived from sales of telecommunications service and competitive telephone service taxed under this chapter, if the gross proceeds of sales subject to tax under this chapter do not fairly represent the extent of the taxpayer's income attributable to this state. The rule must provide for an equitable and constitutionally permissible division of the tax base.
     (4) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
     (a) "Apportionable income" means gross income of the business generated from engaging in apportionable activities, including income received from apportionable activities performed outside this state if the income would be taxable under this chapter if received from activities in this state, less the exemptions and deductions allowable under this chapter. For purposes of this subsection, "apportionable activities" means only those activities taxed under:
     (i) RCW 82.04.255;
     (ii) RCW 82.04.260 (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (12);
     (iii) RCW 82.04.280(((5))) (1)(e);
     (iv) RCW 82.04.285;
     (v) RCW 82.04.286;
     (vi) RCW 82.04.290;
     (vii) RCW 82.04.2907;
     (viii) RCW 82.04.2908;
     (ix) RCW 82.04.263, but only to the extent of any activity that would be taxable under any of the provisions enumerated under (a)(i) through (viii) of this subsection (4) if the tax classification in RCW 82.04.263 did not exist; and
     (x) RCW 82.04.260(13) and 82.04.280(1)(a), but only with respect to advertising.
     (b)(i) "Taxable in another state" means that the taxpayer is subject to a business activities tax by another state on its income received from engaging in apportionable activities; or the taxpayer is not subject to a business activities tax by another state on its income received from engaging in apportionable activities, but any other state has jurisdiction to subject the taxpayer to a business activities tax on such income under the substantial nexus standards in RCW 82.04.067(1).
     (ii) For purposes of this subsection (4)(b), "business activities tax" and "state" have the same meaning as in RCW 82.04.462.

Sec. 204   RCW 82.08.806 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 516 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 does not apply to sales, to a printer or publisher, of computer equipment, including repair parts and replacement parts for such equipment, when the computer equipment is used primarily in the printing or publishing of any printed material, or to sales of or charges made for labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the computer equipment. This exemption applies only to computer equipment not otherwise exempt under RCW 82.08.02565.
     (2) A person taking the exemption under this section must keep records necessary for the department to verify eligibility under this section. This exemption is available only when the purchaser provides the seller with an exemption certificate in a form and manner prescribed by the department. The seller must retain a copy of the certificate for the seller's files.
     (3) The definitions in this subsection (3) apply throughout this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (a) "Computer" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.04.215.
     (b) "Computer equipment" means a computer and the associated physical components that constitute a computer system, including monitors, keyboards, printers, modems, scanners, pointing devices, and other computer peripheral equipment, cables, servers, and routers. "Computer equipment" also includes digital cameras and computer software.
     (c) "Computer software" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.04.215.
     (d) "Primarily" means greater than fifty percent as measured by time.
     (e) "Printer or publisher" means a person, as defined in RCW 82.04.030, who is subject to tax under RCW 82.04.260(13) or 82.04.280(1)(a).
     (4) "Computer equipment" does not include computer equipment that is used primarily for administrative purposes including but not limited to payroll processing, accounting, customer service, telemarketing, and collection. If computer equipment is used simultaneously for administrative and nonadministrative purposes, the administrative use must be disregarded during the period of simultaneous use for purposes of determining whether the computer equipment is used primarily for administrative purposes.

Sec. 205   RCW 82.08.820 and 2006 c 354 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Wholesalers or third-party warehousers who own or operate warehouses or grain elevators and retailers who own or operate distribution centers, and who have paid the tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 on:
     (a) Material-handling and racking equipment, and labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the equipment; or
     (b) Construction of a warehouse or grain elevator, including materials, and including service and labor costs,
are eligible for an exemption in the form of a remittance. The amount of the remittance is computed under subsection (3) of this section and is based on the state share of sales tax.
     (2) For purposes of this section and RCW 82.12.820:
     (a) "Agricultural products" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.213;
     (b) "Cold storage warehouse" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.74.010;
     (c) "Construction" means the actual construction of a warehouse or grain elevator that did not exist before the construction began. "Construction" includes expansion if the expansion adds at least twenty-five thousand square feet of additional space to an existing cold storage warehouse, at least two hundred thousand square feet of additional space to an existing warehouse other than a cold storage warehouse, or additional storage capacity of at least one million bushels to an existing grain elevator. "Construction" does not include renovation, remodeling, or repair;
     (d) "Department" means the department of revenue;
     (e) "Distribution center" means a warehouse that is used exclusively by a retailer solely for the storage and distribution of finished goods to retail outlets of the retailer. "Distribution center" does not include a warehouse at which retail sales occur;
     (f) "Finished goods" means tangible personal property intended for sale by a retailer or wholesaler. "Finished goods" does not include agricultural products stored by wholesalers, third-party warehouses, or retailers if the storage takes place on the land of the person who produced the agricultural product. "Finished goods" does not include logs, minerals, petroleum, gas, or other extracted products stored as raw materials or in bulk;
     (g) "Grain elevator" means a structure used for storage and handling of grain in bulk;
     (h) "Material-handling equipment and racking equipment" means equipment in a warehouse or grain elevator that is primarily used to handle, store, organize, convey, package, or repackage finished goods. The term includes tangible personal property with a useful life of one year or more that becomes an ingredient or component of the equipment, including repair and replacement parts. The term does not include equipment in offices, lunchrooms, restrooms, and other like space, within a warehouse or grain elevator, or equipment used for nonwarehousing purposes. "Material-handling equipment" includes but is not limited to: Conveyers, carousels, lifts, positioners, pick-up-and-place units, cranes, hoists, mechanical arms, and robots; mechanized systems, including containers that are an integral part of the system, whose purpose is to lift or move tangible personal property; and automated handling, storage, and retrieval systems, including computers that control them, whose purpose is to lift or move tangible personal property; and forklifts and other off-the-road vehicles that are used to lift or move tangible personal property and that cannot be operated legally on roads and streets. "Racking equipment" includes, but is not limited to, conveying systems, chutes, shelves, racks, bins, drawers, pallets, and other containers and storage devices that form a necessary part of the storage system;
     (i) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030;
     (j) "Retailer" means a person who makes "sales at retail" as defined in chapter 82.04 RCW of tangible personal property;
     (k) "Square footage" means the product of the two horizontal dimensions of each floor of a specific warehouse. The entire footprint of the warehouse shall be measured in calculating the square footage, including space that juts out from the building profile such as loading docks. "Square footage" does not mean the aggregate of the square footage of more than one warehouse at a location or the aggregate of the square footage of warehouses at more than one location;
     (l) "Third-party warehouser" means a person taxable under RCW 82.04.280(((4))) (1)(d);
     (m) "Warehouse" means an enclosed building or structure in which finished goods are stored. A warehouse building or structure may have more than one storage room and more than one floor. Office space, lunchrooms, restrooms, and other space within the warehouse and necessary for the operation of the warehouse are considered part of the warehouse as are loading docks and other such space attached to the building and used for handling of finished goods. Landscaping and parking lots are not considered part of the warehouse. A storage yard is not a warehouse, nor is a building in which manufacturing takes place; and
     (n) "Wholesaler" means a person who makes "sales at wholesale" as defined in chapter 82.04 RCW of tangible personal property, but "wholesaler" does not include a person who makes sales exempt under RCW 82.04.330.
     (3)(a) A person claiming an exemption from state tax in the form of a remittance under this section must pay the tax imposed by RCW 82.08.020. The buyer may then apply to the department for remittance of all or part of the tax paid under RCW 82.08.020. For grain elevators with bushel capacity of one million but less than two million, the remittance is equal to fifty percent of the amount of tax paid. For warehouses with square footage of two hundred thousand or more, other than cold storage warehouses, and for grain elevators with bushel capacity of two million or more, the remittance is equal to one hundred percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying construction, materials, service, and labor, and fifty percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying material-handling equipment and racking equipment, and labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the equipment. For cold storage warehouses with square footage of twenty-five thousand or more, the remittance is equal to one hundred percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying construction, materials, service, and labor, and one hundred percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying material-handling equipment and racking equipment, and labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the equipment.
     (b) The department shall determine eligibility under this section based on information provided by the buyer and through audit and other administrative records. The buyer shall on a quarterly basis submit an information sheet, in a form and manner as required by the department by rule, specifying the amount of exempted tax claimed and the qualifying purchases or acquisitions for which the exemption is claimed. The buyer shall retain, in adequate detail to enable the department to determine whether the equipment or construction meets the criteria under this section: Invoices; proof of tax paid; documents describing the material-handling equipment and racking equipment; location and size of warehouses and grain elevators; and construction invoices and documents.
     (c) The department shall on a quarterly basis remit exempted amounts to qualifying persons who submitted applications during the previous quarter.
     (4) Warehouses, grain elevators, and material-handling equipment and racking equipment for which an exemption, credit, or deferral has been or is being received under chapter 82.60, 82.62, or 82.63 RCW or RCW 82.08.02565 or 82.12.02565 are not eligible for any remittance under this section. Warehouses and grain elevators upon which construction was initiated before May 20, 1997, are not eligible for a remittance under this section.
     (5) The lessor or owner of a warehouse or grain elevator is not eligible for a remittance under this section unless the underlying ownership of the warehouse or grain elevator and the material-handling equipment and racking equipment vests exclusively in the same person, or unless the lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the remittance to the lessee in the form of reduced rent payments.

Sec. 206   RCW 82.08.820 and 2006 c 354 s 12 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Wholesalers or third-party warehousers who own or operate warehouses or grain elevators and retailers who own or operate distribution centers, and who have paid the tax levied by RCW 82.08.020 on:
     (a) Material-handling and racking equipment, and labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the equipment; or
     (b) Construction of a warehouse or grain elevator, including materials, and including service and labor costs,
are eligible for an exemption in the form of a remittance. The amount of the remittance is computed under subsection (3) of this section and is based on the state share of sales tax.
     (2) For purposes of this section and RCW 82.12.820:
     (a) "Agricultural products" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.213;
     (b) "Construction" means the actual construction of a warehouse or grain elevator that did not exist before the construction began. "Construction" includes expansion if the expansion adds at least two hundred thousand square feet of additional space to an existing warehouse or additional storage capacity of at least one million bushels to an existing grain elevator. "Construction" does not include renovation, remodeling, or repair;
     (c) "Department" means the department of revenue;
     (d) "Distribution center" means a warehouse that is used exclusively by a retailer solely for the storage and distribution of finished goods to retail outlets of the retailer. "Distribution center" does not include a warehouse at which retail sales occur;
     (e) "Finished goods" means tangible personal property intended for sale by a retailer or wholesaler. "Finished goods" does not include agricultural products stored by wholesalers, third-party warehouses, or retailers if the storage takes place on the land of the person who produced the agricultural product. "Finished goods" does not include logs, minerals, petroleum, gas, or other extracted products stored as raw materials or in bulk;
     (f) "Grain elevator" means a structure used for storage and handling of grain in bulk;
     (g) "Material-handling equipment and racking equipment" means equipment in a warehouse or grain elevator that is primarily used to handle, store, organize, convey, package, or repackage finished goods. The term includes tangible personal property with a useful life of one year or more that becomes an ingredient or component of the equipment, including repair and replacement parts. The term does not include equipment in offices, lunchrooms, restrooms, and other like space, within a warehouse or grain elevator, or equipment used for nonwarehousing purposes. "Material-handling equipment" includes but is not limited to: Conveyers, carousels, lifts, positioners, pick-up-and-place units, cranes, hoists, mechanical arms, and robots; mechanized systems, including containers that are an integral part of the system, whose purpose is to lift or move tangible personal property; and automated handling, storage, and retrieval systems, including computers that control them, whose purpose is to lift or move tangible personal property; and forklifts and other off-the-road vehicles that are used to lift or move tangible personal property and that cannot be operated legally on roads and streets. "Racking equipment" includes, but is not limited to, conveying systems, chutes, shelves, racks, bins, drawers, pallets, and other containers and storage devices that form a necessary part of the storage system;
     (h) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030;
     (i) "Retailer" means a person who makes "sales at retail" as defined in chapter 82.04 RCW of tangible personal property;
     (j) "Square footage" means the product of the two horizontal dimensions of each floor of a specific warehouse. The entire footprint of the warehouse shall be measured in calculating the square footage, including space that juts out from the building profile such as loading docks. "Square footage" does not mean the aggregate of the square footage of more than one warehouse at a location or the aggregate of the square footage of warehouses at more than one location;
     (k) "Third-party warehouser" means a person taxable under RCW 82.04.280(((4))) (1)(d);
     (l) "Warehouse" means an enclosed building or structure in which finished goods are stored. A warehouse building or structure may have more than one storage room and more than one floor. Office space, lunchrooms, restrooms, and other space within the warehouse and necessary for the operation of the warehouse are considered part of the warehouse as are loading docks and other such space attached to the building and used for handling of finished goods. Landscaping and parking lots are not considered part of the warehouse. A storage yard is not a warehouse, nor is a building in which manufacturing takes place; and
     (m) "Wholesaler" means a person who makes "sales at wholesale" as defined in chapter 82.04 RCW of tangible personal property, but "wholesaler" does not include a person who makes sales exempt under RCW 82.04.330.
     (3)(a) A person claiming an exemption from state tax in the form of a remittance under this section must pay the tax imposed by RCW 82.08.020. The buyer may then apply to the department for remittance of all or part of the tax paid under RCW 82.08.020. For grain elevators with bushel capacity of one million but less than two million, the remittance is equal to fifty percent of the amount of tax paid. For warehouses with square footage of two hundred thousand or more and for grain elevators with bushel capacity of two million or more, the remittance is equal to one hundred percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying construction, materials, service, and labor, and fifty percent of the amount of tax paid for qualifying material-handling equipment and racking equipment, and labor and services rendered in respect to installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, or improving the equipment.
     (b) The department shall determine eligibility under this section based on information provided by the buyer and through audit and other administrative records. The buyer shall on a quarterly basis submit an information sheet, in a form and manner as required by the department by rule, specifying the amount of exempted tax claimed and the qualifying purchases or acquisitions for which the exemption is claimed. The buyer shall retain, in adequate detail to enable the department to determine whether the equipment or construction meets the criteria under this section: Invoices; proof of tax paid; documents describing the material-handling equipment and racking equipment; location and size of warehouses and grain elevators; and construction invoices and documents.
     (c) The department shall on a quarterly basis remit exempted amounts to qualifying persons who submitted applications during the previous quarter.
     (4) Warehouses, grain elevators, and material-handling equipment and racking equipment for which an exemption, credit, or deferral has been or is being received under chapter 82.60, 82.62, or 82.63 RCW or RCW 82.08.02565 or 82.12.02565 are not eligible for any remittance under this section. Warehouses and grain elevators upon which construction was initiated before May 20, 1997, are not eligible for a remittance under this section.
     (5) The lessor or owner of a warehouse or grain elevator is not eligible for a remittance under this section unless the underlying ownership of the warehouse or grain elevator and the material-handling equipment and racking equipment vests exclusively in the same person, or unless the lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the remittance to the lessee in the form of reduced rent payments.

Sec. 207   RCW 82.32.665 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 204 are each amended to read as follows:
     There is hereby created a joint tax avoidance review committee which is a bipartisan committee consisting of three members of the senate, two from the majority caucus and one from the minority caucus, and three members of the house of representatives, two from the majority caucus and one from the minority caucus. The senate members of the committee must be appointed by the majority leader of the senate, and the house members of the committee must be appointed by the speaker of the house. The appointing authorities must also appoint one alternate member from each of the two largest caucuses of each legislative chamber.
     (1)(a) Members and alternates must be appointed as soon as possible after May 1, 2010, and their terms continue until such persons no longer wish to serve on the committee or no longer serve in the legislature, whichever occurs first.
     (b) A vacancy must be filled by the appointment of a legislator from the same legislative chamber and caucus as the original appointment. The appropriate appointing authority must make the appointment within thirty days of the vacancy occurring. Former committee members and alternates may be reappointed to the committee.
     (2) The committee must choose its chair and vice-chair from among its membership. The committee meets at the call of the chair. The chair of the committee must cause all meeting notices and committee documents to be sent to the committee members and alternates.
     (3) Staff support for the committee must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
     (4) The committee must:
     (a) Generally monitor the department's implementation of Part II, chapter 23, Laws of 2010 1st sp. sess., providing timely advice to the department in any rule making undertaken pursuant to the authority granted under RCW 82.32.655;
     (b) Seek input from stakeholders and other legislators as the committee may determine is desirable and useful in the furtherance of its mission herein described;
     (c) Review other cases, identified by the department, of tax avoidance transactions not described in RCW 82.32.655 that may represent examples of arrangements that circumvent the policies of this state and thus unfairly avoid taxes;
     (d) Consider the need for an explicit statutory construction standard to provide direction to the courts on the interpretation of Part II, chapter 23, Laws of 2010 1st sp. sess.; and
     (e) Provide a report to the fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate by December 31, 2010, which must include:
     (i) Recommended legislation on any matters that the committee deems advisable, including amendments to RCW 82.32.090, 82.32.655, and 82.32.660; and
     (ii) Recommendations for future legislative oversight of the department's implementation of RCW 82.32.090, 82.32.655, and 82.32.660.
     (5) For the purposes of this section, the disclosure of otherwise confidential tax information to the members of the committee is deemed to fall within the exception provided by RCW 82.32.330(3)(((d))) (e).
     (6) This section expires July 1, 2011.

Sec. 208   2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 101 (uncodified) is amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature finds that out-of-state businesses that do not have a physical presence in Washington earn significant income from Washington residents from providing services or collecting royalties on the use of intangible property in this state. The legislature further finds that these businesses receive significant benefits and opportunities provided by the state, such as: Laws providing protection of business interests or regulating consumer credit; access to courts and judicial process to enforce business rights, including debt collection and intellectual property rights; an orderly and regulated marketplace; and police and fire protection and a transportation system benefiting in-state agents and other representatives of out-of-state businesses. Therefore, the legislature intends to extend the state's business and occupation tax to these companies to ensure that they pay their fair share of the cost of services that this state renders and the infrastructure it provides.
     (2)(a) The legislature also finds that the current cost apportionment method in RCW 82.04.460(1) for apportioning most service income has been difficult for both taxpayers and the department to apply due in large part (i) to the difficulty in assigning certain costs of doing business inside or outside of this state, and (ii) to its dissimilarity with the apportionment methods used in other states for their business activity taxes.
     (b) The legislature further finds that there is a trend among states to adopt a single factor apportionment formula based on sales. The legislature recognizes that adoption of a sales factor only apportionment method has the advantages of simplifying apportionment and making Washington a more attractive place for businesses to expand their property and payroll. For these reasons, the legislature adopts single factor sales apportionment for purposes of apportioning royalty income and certain service income for state business and occupation tax purposes.
     (c) Nothing in this act may be construed, however, to authorize apportionment of the gross income or value of products taxable under the following business and occupation tax classifications: Retailing, wholesaling, manufacturing, processing for hire, extracting, extracting for hire, printing, government contracting, public road construction, the classifications in RCW 82.04.280 (((2), (4), (6), and (7))) (1)(b), (d), (f), and (g), and any other activity not specifically included in the definition of apportionable activities in RCW 82.04.460.
     (d) Nothing in this part is intended to modify the nexus and apportionment requirements for local gross receipts business and occupation taxes.

PART III
MERGING MULTIPLE AMENDMENTS TO STATUTES FROM 2010 LEGISLATION

Sec. 301   RCW 82.04.2909 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 s 1 and 2010 c 114 s 108 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) Upon every person who is an aluminum smelter engaging within this state in the business of manufacturing aluminum; 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 .2904 percent.
     (2) Upon every person who is an aluminum smelter engaging within this state in the business of making sales at wholesale of aluminum manufactured by that person, as to such persons the amount of tax with respect to such business is equal to the gross proceeds of sales of the aluminum multiplied by the rate of .2904 percent.
     (3) A person reporting under the tax rate provided in this section must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.
     (4) This section expires January 1, 2017.

Sec. 302   RCW 82.04.4481 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 s 2 and 2010 c 114 s 118 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) In computing the tax imposed under this chapter, a credit is allowed for all property taxes paid during the calendar year on property owned by a direct service industrial customer and reasonably necessary for the purposes of an aluminum smelter.
     (2) A person claiming the credit under this section is subject to all the requirements of chapter 82.32 RCW. A credit earned during one calendar year may be carried over to be credited against taxes incurred in the subsequent calendar year, but may not be carried over a second year. Credits carried over must be applied to tax liability before new credits. No refunds may be granted for credits under this section.
     (3) Credits may not be claimed under this section for property taxes levied for collection in 2017 and thereafter.
     (4) A person claiming the credit provided in this section must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.

Sec. 303   RCW 82.08.805 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 s 3 and 2010 c 114 s 122 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) A person who has paid tax under RCW 82.08.020 for personal property used at an aluminum smelter, tangible personal property that will be incorporated as an ingredient or component of buildings or other structures at an aluminum smelter, or for labor and services rendered with respect to such buildings, structures, or personal property, is eligible for an exemption from the state share of the tax in the form of a credit, as provided in this section. A person claiming an exemption must pay the tax and may then take a credit equal to the state share of retail sales tax paid under RCW 82.08.020. The person must submit information, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, specifying the amount of qualifying purchases or acquisitions for which the exemption is claimed and the amount of exempted tax.
     (2) For the purposes of this section, "aluminum smelter" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.217.
     (3) A person claiming the tax preference provided in this section must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.
     (4) Credits may not be claimed under this section for taxable events occurring on or after January 1, 2017.

Sec. 304   RCW 82.12.022 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 s 5 and 2010 c 114 s 127 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) A use tax is levied on every person in this state for the privilege of using natural gas or manufactured gas within this state as a consumer.
     (2) The tax must be levied and collected in an amount equal to the value of the article used by the taxpayer multiplied by the rate in effect for the public utility tax on gas distribution businesses under RCW 82.16.020. The "value of the article used" does not include any amounts that are paid for the hire or use of a gas distribution business as defined in RCW 82.16.010(2) in transporting the gas subject to tax under this subsection if those amounts are subject to tax under that chapter.
     (3) The tax levied in this section does not apply to the use of natural or manufactured gas delivered to the consumer by other means than through a pipeline.
     (4) The tax levied in this section does not apply to the use of natural or manufactured gas if the person who sold the gas to the consumer has paid a tax under RCW 82.16.020 with respect to the gas for which exemption is sought under this subsection.
     (5)(a) The tax levied in this section does not apply to the use of natural or manufactured gas by an aluminum smelter as that term is defined in RCW 82.04.217 before January 1, 2017.
     (b) A person claiming the exemption provided in this subsection (5) must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.
     (6) There is a credit against the tax levied under this section in an amount equal to any tax paid by:
     (a) The person who sold the gas to the consumer when that tax is a gross receipts tax similar to that imposed pursuant to RCW 82.16.020 by another state with respect to the gas for which a credit is sought under this subsection; or
     (b) The person consuming the gas upon which a use tax similar to the tax imposed by this section was paid to another state with respect to the gas for which a credit is sought under this subsection.
     (7) The use tax imposed in this section must be paid by the consumer to the department.
     (8) There is imposed a reporting requirement on the person who delivered the gas to the consumer to make a quarterly report to the department. Such report must contain the volume of gas delivered, name of the consumer to whom delivered, and such other information as the department may require by rule.
     (9) The department may adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW for the administration and enforcement of sections 1 through 6, chapter 384, Laws of 1989.

Sec. 305   RCW 82.12.805 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 s 4 and 2010 c 114 s 128 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) A person who is subject to tax under RCW 82.12.020 for personal property used at an aluminum smelter, or for tangible personal property that will be incorporated as an ingredient or component of buildings or other structures at an aluminum smelter, or for labor and services rendered with respect to such buildings, structures, or personal property, is eligible for an exemption from the state share of the tax in the form of a credit, as provided in this section. The amount of the credit equals the state share of use tax computed to be due under RCW 82.12.020. The person must submit information, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, specifying the amount of qualifying purchases or acquisitions for which the exemption is claimed and the amount of exempted tax.
     (2) For the purposes of this section, "aluminum smelter" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.217.
     (3) A person reporting under the tax rate provided in this section must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.
     (4) Credits may not be claimed under this section for taxable events occurring on or after January 1, 2017.

Sec. 306   RCW 82.32.590 and 2010 c 137 s 1 and 2010 c 114 s 135 are each reenacted to read as follows:
     (1) If the department finds that the failure of a taxpayer to file an annual survey under RCW 82.32.585 or annual report under RCW 82.32.534 by the due date was the result of circumstances beyond the control of the taxpayer, the department must extend the time for filing the survey or report. The extension is for a period of thirty days from the date the department issues its written notification to the taxpayer that it qualifies for an extension under this section. The department may grant additional extensions as it deems proper.
     (2) In making a determination whether the failure of a taxpayer to file an annual survey or annual report by the due date was the result of circumstances beyond the control of the taxpayer, the department must be guided by rules adopted by the department for the waiver or cancellation of penalties when the underpayment or untimely payment of any tax was due to circumstances beyond the control of the taxpayer.
     (3)(a) Subject to the conditions in this subsection (3), a taxpayer who fails to file an annual report or annual survey required under subsection (1) of this section by the due date of the report or survey is entitled to an extension of the due date. A request for an extension under this subsection (3) must be made in writing to the department.
     (b) To qualify for an extension under this subsection (3), a taxpayer must have filed all annual reports and surveys, if any, due in prior years under subsection (1) of this section by their respective due dates, beginning with annual reports and surveys due in calendar year 2010.
     (c) An extension under this subsection (3) is for ninety days from the original due date of the annual report or survey.
     (d) No taxpayer may be granted more than one ninety-day extension under this subsection (3).

PART IV
COMBINING TWO SUBPOENA STATUTES INTO A SINGLE SUBPOENA STATUTE

Sec. 401   RCW 82.32.117 and 2010 c 22 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department or its duly authorized agent may apply for and obtain a superior court order approving and authorizing a subpoena in advance of its issuance. The application may be made in the county where the subpoenaed person resides or is found, or the county where the subpoenaed records or documents are located, or in Thurston county. The application must:
     (a) State that an order is sought pursuant to this subsection;
     (b) Adequately specify the records, documents, or testimony; and
     (c) Declare under oath that an investigation is being conducted for a lawfully authorized purpose related to an investigation within the department's authority and that the subpoenaed documents or testimony are reasonably related to an investigation within the department's authority.
     (2) Where the application under this subsection is made to the satisfaction of the court, the court must issue an order approving the subpoena. An order under this subsection constitutes authority of law for the agency to subpoena the records or testimony.
     (3) The department or its duly authorized agent may seek approval and a court may issue an order under this subsection without prior notice to any person, including the person to whom the subpoena is directed and the person who is the subject of an investigation.
     (4) This section does not preclude the use of other legally authorized means of obtaining records, nor preclude the assertion of any legally recognized privileges.
     (5) The department may not disclose any return or tax information, as defined in RCW 82.32.330, obtained in response to a subpoena issued under this section, except as authorized in RCW 82.32.330.
     (6) A third party may not be held civilly liable for any harm resulting from that person's compliance with a subpoena issued under the authority of this section.
     (7) The entire court file of any proceeding instituted under this section must be sealed and is not open to public inspection by any person except upon order of the court as authorized by law.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 402   RCW 82.32.115 (Records in possession of a third party -- Subpoenas) and 2009 c 309 s 1 are each repealed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 403   The repeal in section 402 of this act does not affect any existing right acquired or liability or obligation incurred under the statute repealed or under any rule or order adopted under that statute nor does it affect any proceedings instituted under it.

Sec. 404   RCW 82.32.330 and 2010 c 112 s 13 and 2010 c 106 s 104 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) For purposes of this section:
     (a) "Disclose" means to make known to any person in any manner whatever a return or tax information;
     (b) "Return" means a tax or information return or claim for refund required by, or provided for or permitted under, the laws of this state which is filed with the department of revenue by, on behalf of, or with respect to a person, and any amendment or supplement thereto, including supporting schedules, attachments, or lists that are supplemental to, or part of, the return so filed;
     (c) "Tax information" means (i) a taxpayer's identity, (ii) the nature, source, or amount of the taxpayer's income, payments, receipts, deductions, exemptions, credits, assets, liabilities, net worth, tax liability deficiencies, overassessments, or tax payments, whether taken from the taxpayer's books and records or any other source, (iii) whether the taxpayer's return was, is being, or will be examined or subject to other investigation or processing, (iv) a part of a written determination that is not designated as a precedent and disclosed pursuant to RCW 82.32.410, or a background file document relating to a written determination, and (v) other data received by, recorded by, prepared by, furnished to, or collected by the department of revenue with respect to the determination of the existence, or possible existence, of liability, or the amount thereof, of a person under the laws of this state for a tax, penalty, interest, fine, forfeiture, or other imposition, or offense. However, data, material, or documents that do not disclose information related to a specific or identifiable taxpayer do not constitute tax information under this section. Except as provided by RCW 82.32.410, nothing in this chapter requires any person possessing data, material, or documents made confidential and privileged by this section to delete information from such data, material, or documents so as to permit its disclosure;
     (d) "State agency" means every Washington state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency;
     (e) "Taxpayer identity" means the taxpayer's name, address, telephone number, registration number, or any combination thereof, or any other information disclosing the identity of the taxpayer; and
     (f) "Department" means the department of revenue or its officer, agent, employee, or representative.
     (2) Returns and tax information are confidential and privileged, and except as authorized by this section, neither the department of revenue nor any other person may disclose any return or tax information.
     (3) This section does not prohibit the department of revenue from:
     (a) Disclosing such return or tax information in a civil or criminal judicial proceeding or an administrative proceeding:
     (i) In respect of any tax imposed under the laws of this state if the taxpayer or its officer or other person liable under this title or chapter 83.100 RCW is a party in the proceeding;
     (ii) In which the taxpayer about whom such return or tax information is sought and another state agency are adverse parties in the proceeding; or
     (iii) Brought by the department under RCW 18.27.040 or 19.28.071;
     (b) Disclosing, subject to such requirements and conditions as the director prescribes by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 34.05 RCW, such return or tax information regarding a taxpayer to such taxpayer or to such person or persons as that taxpayer may designate in a request for, or consent to, such disclosure, or to any other person, at the taxpayer's request, to the extent necessary to comply with a request for information or assistance made by the taxpayer to such other person. However, tax information not received from the taxpayer must not be so disclosed if the director determines that such disclosure would compromise any investigation or litigation by any federal, state, or local government agency in connection with the civil or criminal liability of the taxpayer or another person, or that such disclosure would identify a confidential informant, or that such disclosure is contrary to any agreement entered into by the department that provides for the reciprocal exchange of information with other government agencies which agreement requires confidentiality with respect to such information unless such information is required to be disclosed to the taxpayer by the order of any court;
     (c) Disclosing the name of a taxpayer against whom a warrant under RCW 82.32.210 has been either issued or filed and remains outstanding for a period of at least ten working days. The department is not required to disclose any information under this subsection if a taxpayer has entered a deferred payment arrangement with the department for the payment of a warrant that has not been filed and is making payments upon such deficiency that will fully satisfy the indebtedness within twelve months;
     (d) Publishing statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of particular returns or reports or items thereof;
     (e) Disclosing such return or tax information, for official purposes only, to the governor or attorney general, or to any state agency, or to any committee or subcommittee of the legislature dealing with matters of taxation, revenue, trade, commerce, the control of industry or the professions;
     (f) Permitting the department of revenue's records to be audited and examined by the proper state officer, his or her agents and employees;
     (g) Disclosing any such return or tax information to a peace officer as defined in RCW 9A.04.110 or county prosecuting attorney, for official purposes. The disclosure may be made only in response to a search warrant, subpoena, or other court order, unless the disclosure is for the purpose of criminal tax enforcement. A peace officer or county prosecuting attorney who receives the return or tax information may disclose that return or tax information only for use in the investigation and a related court proceeding, or in the court proceeding for which the return or tax information originally was sought;
     (h) Disclosing any such return or tax information to the proper officer of the internal revenue service of the United States, the Canadian government or provincial governments of Canada, or to the proper officer of the tax department of any state or city or town or county, for official purposes, but only if the statutes of the United States, Canada or its provincial governments, or of such other state or city or town or county, as the case may be, grants substantially similar privileges to the proper officers of this state;
     (i) Disclosing any such return or tax information to the United States department of justice, including the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, the department of defense, the immigration and customs enforcement and the customs and border protection agencies of the United States department of homeland security, the United States coast guard, the alcohol and tobacco tax and trade bureau of the United States department of treasury, and the United States department of transportation, or any authorized representative of these federal agencies, for official purposes;
     (j) Publishing or otherwise disclosing the text of a written determination designated by the director as a precedent pursuant to RCW 82.32.410;
     (k) Disclosing, in a manner that is not associated with other tax information, the taxpayer name, entity type, business address, mailing address, revenue tax registration numbers, reseller permit numbers and the expiration date and status of such permits, North American industry classification system or standard industrial classification code of a taxpayer, and the dates of opening and closing of business. This subsection may not be construed as giving authority to the department to give, sell, or provide access to any list of taxpayers for any commercial purpose;
     (l) Disclosing such return or tax information that is also maintained by another Washington state or local governmental agency as a public record available for inspection and copying under the provisions of chapter 42.56 RCW or is a document maintained by a court of record and is not otherwise prohibited from disclosure;
     (m) Disclosing such return or tax information to the United States department of agriculture for the limited purpose of investigating food stamp fraud by retailers;
     (n) Disclosing to a financial institution, escrow company, or title company, in connection with specific real property that is the subject of a real estate transaction, current amounts due the department for a filed tax warrant, judgment, or lien against the real property;
     (o) Disclosing to a person against whom the department has asserted liability as a successor under RCW 82.32.140 return or tax information pertaining to the specific business of the taxpayer to which the person has succeeded;
     (p) Disclosing real estate excise tax affidavit forms filed under RCW 82.45.150 in the possession of the department, including real estate excise tax affidavit forms for transactions exempt or otherwise not subject to tax;
     (q) Disclosing to local taxing jurisdictions the identity of sellers granted relief under RCW 82.32.430(5)(b)(i) and the period for which relief is granted;
     (r) Disclosing such return or tax information to the court in respect to the department's application for a subpoena under RCW ((82.32.115)) 82.32.117;
     (s) Disclosing to a person against whom the department has asserted liability under RCW 83.100.120 return or tax information pertaining to that person's liability for tax under chapter 83.100 RCW;
     (t) Disclosing such return or tax information to the streamlined sales tax governing board, member states of the streamlined sales tax governing board, or authorized representatives of such board or states, for the limited purposes of:
     (i) Conducting on behalf of member states sales and use tax audits of taxpayers; or
     (ii) Auditing certified service providers or certified automated systems providers; or
     (u) Disclosing any such return or tax information when the disclosure is specifically authorized under any other section of the Revised Code of Washington.
     (4)(a) The department may disclose return or taxpayer information to a person under investigation or during any court or administrative proceeding against a person under investigation as provided in this subsection (4). The disclosure must be in connection with the department's official duties relating to an audit, collection activity, or a civil or criminal investigation. The disclosure may occur only when the person under investigation and the person in possession of data, materials, or documents are parties to the return or tax information to be disclosed. The department may disclose return or tax information such as invoices, contracts, bills, statements, resale or exemption certificates, or checks. However, the department may not disclose general ledgers, sales or cash receipt journals, check registers, accounts receivable/payable ledgers, general journals, financial statements, expert's workpapers, income tax returns, state tax returns, tax return workpapers, or other similar data, materials, or documents.
     (b) Before disclosure of any tax return or tax information under this subsection (4), the department must, through written correspondence, inform the person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed. The correspondence must clearly identify the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed. The department may not disclose any tax return or tax information under this subsection (4) until the time period allowed in (c) of this subsection has expired or until the court has ruled on any challenge brought under (c) of this subsection.
     (c) The person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed by the department has twenty days from the receipt of the written request required under (b) of this subsection to petition the superior court of the county in which the petitioner resides for injunctive relief. The court must limit or deny the request of the department if the court determines that:
     (i) The data, materials, or documents sought for disclosure are cumulative or duplicative, or are obtainable from some other source that is more convenient, less burdensome, or less expensive;
     (ii) The production of the data, materials, or documents sought would be unduly burdensome or expensive, taking into account the needs of the department, the amount in controversy, limitations on the petitioner's resources, and the importance of the issues at stake; or
     (iii) The data, materials, or documents sought for disclosure contain trade secret information that, if disclosed, could harm the petitioner.
     (d) The department must reimburse reasonable expenses for the production of data, materials, or documents incurred by the person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed.
     (e) Requesting information under (b) of this subsection that may indicate that a taxpayer is under investigation does not constitute a disclosure of tax return or tax information under this section.
     (5) Service of a subpoena issued under RCW ((82.32.115)) 82.32.117 does not constitute a disclosure of return or tax information under this section. Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in this section, a person served with a subpoena under RCW ((82.32.115)) 82.32.117 may disclose the existence or content of the subpoena to that person's legal counsel.
     (6) Any person acquiring knowledge of any return or tax information in the course of his or her employment with the department of revenue and any person acquiring knowledge of any return or tax information as provided under subsection (3) (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), or (m) of this section, who discloses any such return or tax information to another person not entitled to knowledge of such return or tax information under the provisions of this section, is guilty of a misdemeanor. If the person guilty of such violation is an officer or employee of the state, such person must forfeit such office or employment and is incapable of holding any public office or employment in this state for a period of two years thereafter.

PART V
MISCELLANEOUS

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 501   Section 206 of this act takes effect July 1, 2012.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 502   Section 205 of this act expires July 1, 2012.

--- END ---