S-5688.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6492

State of Washington

66th Legislature

2020 Regular Session

BySenate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Pedersen, Rolfes, and Wilson, C.)

READ FIRST TIME 01/27/20.

AN ACT Relating to addressing workforce education investment funding through business and occupation tax reform; amending RCW 28C.18.200, 43.79.195, 82.04.290, 82.04.299, and 82.04.4451; reenacting and amending RCW 82.32.045; creating new sections; providing effective dates; and declaring an emergency.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 28C.18.200 and 2019 c 406 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The workforce education investment accountability and oversight board is established. The board consists of seventeen members, as provided in this subsection:

(a) Four members of the legislature consisting of the chairs and ranking minority members of the respective higher education and workforce development committees of the senate and house of representatives, ex officio; and

(b) The following members appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate:

(i) Five members representing the businesses described in RCW 82.04.299 or subject to the tax rate under RCW 82.04.290(2)(a)(i);

(ii) Two members representing labor organizations, one of which must have expertise in registered apprenticeships and training a high-demand workforce and one of which must represent faculty at the four-year institutions of higher education;

(iii) Two members representing the institutions of higher education, as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, one of which must be from the four-year sector and one of which must be from the community and technical college sector;

(iv) Two members representing students, one of which must be a community and technical college student;

(v) One member representing the independent, not-for-profit higher education institutions; and

(vi) One member representing the student achievement council, established under chapter 28B.77 RCW.

(2) Except for ex officio and student members, board members shall hold their offices for a term of three years until their successors are appointed. Student board members shall hold one-year terms.

(3) The board shall have two cochairs. One cochair shall be one of the chairs of the respective higher education and workforce development committees of the legislature and the other cochair shall be one of the board members representing the businesses described in RCW 82.04.299 or subject to the tax rate under RCW 82.04.290(2)(a)(i). The cochairs shall hold the position for a one-year term. The board members shall elect the cochairs annually.

(4) Nine voting members of the board constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The board shall meet four times a year.

(5) Staff support for the board shall be provided by the workforce training and education coordinating board established in this chapter (( 28C.18 RCW)).

(6) The purposes of the board are to:

(a) Provide guidance and recommendations to the legislature on what workforce education priorities should be funded with the workforce education investment account; and

(b) Ensure accountability that the workforce education investments funded with the workforce education investment account are producing the intended results and are effectively increasing student success and career readiness, such as by increasing retention, completion, and job placement rates.

(7) The board shall consult data from the education data center established under RCW 43.41.400 and the workforce training and education coordinating board established under this chapter (( 28C.18 RCW)) when reviewing and determining whether workforce education investments funded from the workforce education investment account are effectively increasing student success and career readiness.

(8) The board shall report its recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature by August 1st of each year.

(9) For the purposes of this section, "board" means the workforce education investment accountability and oversight board established in this section.

Sec. 2. RCW 43.79.195 and 2019 c 406 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The workforce education investment account is created in the state treasury. All revenues from the workforce investment surcharge((s)) created in RCW 82.04.299 and those revenues as specified under RCW 82.04.290(2)(c) must be deposited directly into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used only for higher education programs, higher education operations, higher education compensation, and state-funded student aid programs. For the 2019-2021 biennium, expenditures from the account may be used for kindergarten through twelfth grade if used for career connected learning as provided for in chapter 406, Laws of 2019.

(2) Expenditures from the workforce education investment account must be used to supplement, not supplant, other federal, state, and local funding for higher education.

Sec. 3. RCW 82.04.290 and 2019 c 426 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Upon every person engaging within this state in the business of providing qualifying international investment management services, as to such persons, the amount of tax with respect to such business is 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 is equal to the gross income of the business multiplied by the rate of:

(i) 1.8 percent; or

(ii) 1.5 percent for:

(A) Any person subject to the surcharge imposed under RCW 82.04.299;

(B) Any person whose gross income of the business subject to the tax imposed under this subsection (2), for the immediately preceding calendar year, was less than one million dollars, unless (I) the person is affiliated with one or more other persons, and (II) the aggregate gross income of the business subject to the tax imposed under this subsection (2) for all affiliated persons was greater than or equal to one million dollars for the immediately preceding calendar year; and

(C) Hospitals as defined in RCW 70.41.020, including any hospital that comes within the scope of chapter 71.12 RCW if the hospital is also licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW. This subsection (2)(a)(ii)(C) must not be construed as modifying RCW 82.04.260(10).

(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 or her principal or supplier to be used for informational, educational, and promotional purposes is not considered a part of the agent's remuneration or commission and is not subject to taxation under this section.

(c) Sixteen and seven-tenths percent of the revenues collected under (a)(i) of this subsection (2) must be deposited into the workforce education investment account created in RCW 43.79.195.

(d)(i) To aid in the effective administration of this subsection (2), the department may require a person claiming to be subject to the 1.5 percent tax rate under (a)(ii) of this subsection (2) to identify all of the person's affiliates, including their department tax registration number or unified business identifier number, as may be applicable, or to certify that the person is not affiliated with any other person. Requests under this subsection (2)(d)(i) must be in writing and may be made electronically.

(ii) If the department determines that a person failed to provide the department with complete and accurate information in response to a written request under (d)(i) of this subsection (2) within thirty days of such request, the person is ineligible for the 1.5 percent tax rate in (a)(ii) of this subsection (2) for the entire current calendar year and the preceding four calendar years, except for any calendar year prior to 2020, and except for reporting periods prior to April 1, 2020. However, the department must waive the provisions of this subsection (2)(d)(ii) for any tax reporting period that the person is otherwise eligible for the 1.5 percent tax rate in (a)(ii) of this subsection (2) if (A) the department has not previously determined that the person failed to fully comply with (d)(i) of this subsection (2), and (B) within thirty days of the notice of additional tax due as a result of the person's failure to fully comply with (d)(i) of this subsection (2) the department determines that the person has come into full compliance with (d)(i) of this subsection (2).

(e) For the purposes of (a)(ii)(A) of this subsection (2), if a taxpayer is subject to the reconciliation provisions of RCW 82.04.462(4), and calculates gross income of the business subject to the tax imposed under this subsection (2) for the immediately preceding calendar year, or aggregate gross income of the business subject to the tax imposed under this subsection (2) for the immediately preceding calendar year for all affiliated persons, based on incomplete information, the taxpayer must correct the reporting for the current calendar year when complete information for the immediately preceding calendar year is available.

(f) For purposes of this subsection (2), the definitions in this subsection (2)(f) apply:

(i) "Affiliate" means a person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with another person; and

(ii) "Control" means the possession, directly or indirectly, of more than eighty 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.

(3)(a) Until July 1, 2040, 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 is equal to the gross income of the business multiplied by a rate of 0.9 percent.

(b) A person reporting under the tax rate provided in this subsection (3) must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.

Sec. 4. RCW 82.04.299 and 2019 c 406 s 74 are each amended to read as follows:

((The legislature intends to secure additional revenue via surcharges targeted towards certain industries including select advanced computing businesses.

The legislature intends the provisions of chapter 406, Laws of 2019 to be applied broadly in favor of application of the surcharges. To achieve this intent, any provision within chapter 406, Laws of 2019 that is deemed to be ambiguous by a court of competent jurisdiction, the board of tax appeals, or any other judicial or administrative body, should be construed in favor of application of the surcharges. The rule of statutory construction in favor of the application of the surcharge under this paragraph does not apply on or after January 1, 2022.

(1)(a) Beginning with business activities occurring on or after January 1, 2020, in addition to the taxes imposed under RCW 82.04.290(2), a workforce education investment surcharge is imposed on specified persons. The surcharge is equal to the total amount of tax payable by the person on business activities taxed under RCW 82.04.290(2), before application of any tax credits, multiplied by the rate of twenty percent.

(b) For specified persons who report under one or more tax classifications, this surcharge applies only to business activities taxed under RCW 82.04.290(2).

(c) The surcharge imposed under this subsection (1) must be reported and paid in a manner and frequency as required by the department.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "specified person" means a person who is not subject to the surcharge under subsection (4) of this section and who is primarily engaged within this state in any combination of the following activities:

(a) Computer software publishing or publishing and reproduction. Establishments in this industry carry out operations necessary for producing and distributing computer software, such as designing, providing documentation, assisting in installation, and providing support services to software purchasers. These establishments may design, develop, and publish, or publish only. These establishments may publish and distribute software remotely through subscriptions and downloads;

(b) Conducting original investigation undertaken on a systematic basis to gain new knowledge or the application of research findings or other scientific knowledge for the creation of new or significantly improved products or processes. Techniques may include modeling and simulation. The industries within this industry group are defined on the basis of the domain of research and on scientific expertise of the establishment;

(c) Putting capital at risk in the process of underwriting securities issues or in making markets for securities and commodities and those acting as agents or brokers between buyers and sellers of securities and commodities, usually charging a commission;

(d) Providing expertise in the field of information technologies through one or more of the following activities: (i) Writing, modifying, testing, and supporting computer software to meet the needs of a particular customer; (ii) planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, computer software, and communication technologies; (iii) on-site management and operation of clients' computer systems and data processing facilities; or (iv) other professional and technical computer-related advice and services;

(e) Performing central banking functions, such as issuing currency, managing the nation's money supply and international reserves, holding deposits that represent the reserves of other banks and other central banks, and acting as a fiscal agent for the central government;

(f)(i) Purchasing access and network capacity from owners and operators of telecommunications networks and reselling wired and wireless telecommunications services, except satellite, to businesses and households; (ii) providing specialized telecommunications services, such as satellite tracking, communications telemetry, and radar station operation; (iii) providing satellite terminal stations and associated facilities connected with one or more terrestrial systems and capable of transmitting telecommunications to, and receiving telecommunications from, satellite systems; or (iv) providing internet access services or voice over internet protocol services via client-supplied telecommunications connections. Establishments in this industry do not operate as telecommunications carriers. Mobile virtual network operators are included in this industry;

(g)(i) Acting as principals in buying or selling financial contracts, except investment bankers, securities dealers, and commodity contracts dealers; (ii) acting as agents or brokers, except securities brokerages and commodity contracts brokerages, in buying or selling financial contracts; or (iii) providing other investment services except securities and commodity exchanges, such as portfolio management, investment advice, and trust, fiduciary, and custody services;

(h) Supplying information, such as news reports, articles, pictures, and features, to the news media. This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing library or archive services. These establishments are engaged in maintaining collections of documents and facilitating the use of these documents as required to meet the informational, research, educational, or recreational needs of their user. These establishments may also acquire, research, store, preserve, and generally make accessible to the public historical documents, photographs, maps, audio material, audiovisual material, and other archival material of historical interest. All or portions of these collections may be accessible electronically. This industry comprises establishments engaged in: (i) Publishing and broadcasting content on the internet exclusively; or (ii) operating web sites that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format, known as web search portals. The publishing and broadcasting establishments in this industry do not provide traditional versions of the content they publish or broadcast. They provide textual, audio, or video content of general or specific interest on the internet exclusively. Establishments known as web search portals often provide additional internet services, such as email, connections to other web sites, auctions, news, and other limited content, and serve as a home base for internet users. This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing other information services, except news syndicates, libraries, archives, internet publishing and broadcasting, and web search portals;

(i) Architectural, engineering, and related services, such as drafting services, building inspection services, geophysical surveying and mapping services, surveying and mapping, except geophysical services and testing services;

(j) Retailing all types of merchandise using nonstore means, such as catalogs, toll-free telephone numbers, electronic media, such as interactive television or the internet, or selling directly to consumers in a nonretail, physical environment. Included in this industry are establishments primarily engaged in retailing from catalog showrooms of mail-order houses;

(k) Providing advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on management, environmental, scientific, and technical issues;

(l) Providing infrastructure for hosting or data processing services. These establishments may provide specialized hosting activities, such as web hosting, streaming services, or application hosting, or they may provide general time-share mainframe facilities to clients. Data processing establishments provide complete processing and specialized reports from data supplied by clients or provide automated data processing and data entry services;

(m) Facilitating credit intermediation by performing activities, such as arranging loans by bringing borrowers and lenders together and clearing checks and credit card transactions;

(n) Offering legal services, such as those offered by offices of lawyers, offices of notaries, and title abstract and settlement offices, and paralegal services;

(o) Operating or providing access to transmission facilities and infrastructure that they own or lease for the transmission of voice, data, text, sound, and video using wired telecommunications networks. Transmission facilities may be based on a single technology or a combination of technologies. Establishments in this industry use the wired telecommunications network facilities that they operate to provide a variety of services, such as wired telephony services, including voice over internet protocol services, wired audio and video programming distribution, and wired broadband internet services. By exception, establishments providing satellite television distribution services using facilities and infrastructure that they operate are included in this industry;

(p) Providing telecommunications services to other establishments in the telecommunications and broadcasting industries by forwarding and receiving communications signals via a system of satellites or reselling satellite telecommunications;

(q) Operating and maintaining switching and transmission facilities to provide communications via the airwaves. Establishments in this industry have spectrum licenses and provide services using that spectrum, such as cellular phone services, paging services, wireless internet access, and wireless video services;

(r) Extending credit or lending funds raised by credit market borrowing, such as issuing commercial paper or other debt instruments or by borrowing from other financial intermediaries;

(s) Underwriting annuities and insurance policies and investing premiums to build up a portfolio of financial assets to be used against future claims. Direct insurance carriers are establishments that are primarily engaged in initially underwriting and assuming the risk of annuities and insurance policies. Reinsurance carriers are establishments that are primarily engaged in assuming all or part of the risk associated with an existing insurance policy originally underwritten by another insurance carrier. Industries are defined in terms of the type of risk being insured against, such as death, loss of employment because of age or disability, or property damage. Contributions and premiums are set on the basis of actuarial calculations of probable payouts based on risk factors from experience tables and expected investment returns on reserves;

(t) Merchant wholesale distribution of photographic equipment and supplies and office, computer, and computer peripheral equipment and medical, dental, hospital, ophthalmic, and other commercial and professional equipment and supplies;

(u) Operating studios and facilities for the broadcasting of programs on a subscription or fee basis. The broadcast programming is typically narrowcast in nature. These establishments produce programming in their own facilities or acquire programming from external sources. The programming material is usually delivered to a third party, such as cable systems or direct-to-home satellite systems, for transmission to viewers;

(v) Publishing newspapers, magazines, other periodicals, books, directories and mailing lists, and other works, such as calendars, greeting cards, and maps. These works are characterized by the intellectual creativity required in their development and are usually protected by copyright. Publishers distribute or arrange for the distribution of these works. Publishing establishments may create the works in-house, or contract for, purchase, or compile works that were originally created by others. These works may be published in one or more formats, such as print or electronic form, including proprietary electronic networks. Establishments in this industry may print, reproduce, or offer direct access to the works themselves or may arrange with others to carry out such functions. Establishments that both print and publish may fill excess capacity with commercial or job printing. However, the publishing activity is still considered to be the primary activity of these establishments;

(w) Generating, transmitting, or distributing electric power. Establishments in this industry group may perform one or more of the following activities: (i) Operate generation facilities that produce electric energy; (ii) operate transmission systems that convey the electricity from the generation facility to the distribution system; or (iii) operate distribution systems that convey electric power received from the generation facility or the transmission system to the final consumer;

(x) Providing specialized design services including interior design, industrial design, graphic design, and others, but not including architectural, engineering, and computer systems design;

(y) Assigning rights to assets, such as patents, trademarks, brand names, or franchise agreements, for which a royalty payment or licensing fee is paid to the asset holder;

(z) Acting as agents in selling annuities and insurance policies or providing other employee benefits and insurance related services, such as claims adjustment and third-party administration;

(aa) Business-to-business electronic markets that bring together buyers and sellers of goods using the internet or other electronic means and generally receive a commission or fee for the service. Business-to-business electronic markets for durable and nondurable goods are included in this industry. This industry comprises wholesale trade agents and brokers acting on behalf of buyers or sellers in the wholesale distribution of goods. Agents and brokers do not take title to the goods being sold but rather receive a commission or fee for their service. Agents and brokers for all durable and nondurable goods are included in this industry;

(bb) Accepting deposits or share deposits and in lending funds from these deposits. Within this group, industries are defined on the basis of differences in the types of deposit liabilities assumed and in the nature of the credit extended;

(cc)(i) Manufacturing complete aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles; (ii) manufacturing aerospace engines, propulsion units, auxiliary equipment or parts; (iii) developing and making prototypes of aerospace products; (iv) aircraft conversion; or (v) complete aircraft or propulsion systems overhaul and rebuilding;

(dd) Advertising, public relations, and related services, such as media buying, independent media representation, outdoor advertising, direct mail advertising, advertising material distribution services, and other services related to advertising;

(ee) Providing services, such as auditing of accounting records, designing accounting systems, preparing financial statements, developing budgets, preparing tax returns, processing payrolls, bookkeeping, and billing;

(ff) The independent practice of general or specialized medicine or surgery by businesses comprised of one or more health practitioners having the degree of doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy. These practitioners operate private or group practices in their own offices or in the facilities of others, such as hospitals or health maintenance organization medical centers;

(gg) Providing a range of outpatient services, such as family planning, diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders and alcohol and other substance abuse, and other general or specialized outpatient care by businesses with medical staff;

(hh) Pooling securities or other assets, except insurance and employee benefit funds, on behalf of shareholders, unit holders, or beneficiaries, by legal entities such as investment pools or funds;

(ii) Promoting the interests of an organization's members, except religious organizations, social advocacy organizations, and civic and social organizations. Examples of establishments in this industry are business associations, professional organizations, labor unions, and political organizations;

(jj) Holding the securities of or other equity interests in companies and enterprises for the purpose of owning a controlling interest or influencing management decisions or businesses that administer, oversee, and manage other establishments of the company or enterprise and that normally undertake the strategic or organizational planning and decision-making role of the company or enterprise. Establishments that administer, oversee, and manage may hold the securities of the company or enterprise;

(kk) For medical and diagnostic laboratories, providing analytic or diagnostic services, including body fluid analysis and diagnostic imaging, generally to the medical profession or to the patient on referral from a health practitioner;

(ll) Serving as offices of chief executives and their advisory committees and commissions. This industry includes offices of the president, governors, and mayors, in addition to executive advisory commissions. This industry comprises government establishments serving as legislative bodies and their advisory committees and commissions. Included in this industry are legislative bodies, such as congress, state legislatures, and advisory and study legislative commissions. This industry comprises government establishments primarily engaged in public finance, taxation, and monetary policy. Included are financial administration activities, such as monetary policy, tax administration and collection, custody and disbursement of funds, debt and investment administration, auditing activities, and government employee retirement trust fund administration. This industry comprises government establishments serving as councils and boards of commissioners or supervisors and such bodies where the chief executive is a member of the legislative body itself. This industry comprises American Indian and Alaska Native governing bodies. Establishments in this industry perform legislative, judicial, and administrative functions for their American Indian and Alaska Native lands. Included in this industry are American Indian and Alaska Native councils, courts, and law enforcement bodies. This industry comprises government establishments primarily engaged in providing general support for government. Such support services include personnel services, election boards, and other general government support establishments that are not classified elsewhere in public administration;

(mm) Providing a range of office administrative services, such as financial planning, billing and recordkeeping, personnel, and physical distribution and logistics, for others on a contract or fee basis. These establishments do not provide operating staff to carry out the complete operations of a business;

(nn) Providing professional, scientific, or technical services including marketing research, public opinion polling, photographic services, translation and interpretation services, and veterinary services. This category does not include legal services, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, architectural, engineering, and related services, specialized design services, computer systems design, management, scientific and technical consulting services, scientific research and development services, or advertising services;

(oo) The independent practice of general or specialized dentistry or dental surgery by businesses comprised of one or more health practitioners having the degree of doctor of dental medicine, doctor of dental surgery, or doctor of dental science. These practitioners operate private or group practices in their own offices or in the facilities of others, such as hospitals or health maintenance organization medical centers. They may provide either comprehensive preventive, cosmetic, or emergency care, or specialize in a single field of dentistry;

(pp) The independent practice of general or specialized medicine or surgery, or general or specialized dentistry or dental surgery, by businesses comprised of one or more independent health practitioners, other than physicians and dentists;

(qq) Providing ambulatory health care services.

(3)(a)(i) For the purposes of this section, a person is primarily engaged within this state in any combination of the activities described in subsection (2) of this section if more than fifty percent of the person's cumulative gross amount reportable under this chapter during the entire current or immediately preceding calendar year was generated from engaging in any one or more of the activities described in subsection (2) of this section. For purposes of this subsection, "gross amount reportable" means the total value of products, gross proceeds of sales, and gross income of the business, reportable to the department before application of any tax deductions.

(ii) If a person was not primarily engaged within this state in any combination of the activities described in subsection (2) of this section during the immediately preceding year, and the person is unsure whether the person will be subject to the workforce investment surcharge for the current calendar year until the close of the current calendar year, the person must, if necessary, file corrected returns with the department of revenue to pay any additional tax due under this section for the current calendar year. Payment of additional tax, along with corrected returns, is due and payable when the person's last return for the calendar year during which the tax liability accrued is due and payable. Additional tax due under this section is subject to penalties and interest as provided under chapter 82.32 RCW only if the tax is not paid in full by the date due as provided in this subsection (3)(a)(ii).

(b) The entire amount of gross income of the business received by a person pursuant to a contract under which the person is obligated to perform any activity described under subsection (2) of this section is deemed to be generated from engaging in any one or more of the activities described in subsection (2) of this section.

(4)))(1)(a) Beginning with business activities occurring on or after ((January))April 1, 2020, in addition to the taxes imposed under RCW 82.04.290(2), a workforce education investment surcharge is imposed on select advanced computing businesses ((as follows:

(i) For an affiliated group that has worldwide gross revenue of more than twenty-five billion dollars, but not more than one hundred billion dollars, during the entire current or immediately preceding calendar year, the surcharge is equal to the total amount of tax payable by each member of the affiliated group on all business activities taxed under RCW 82.04.290(2), before application of any tax credits, multiplied by the rate of thirty-three and one-third percent.

(ii) For an affiliated group that has worldwide gross revenue of more than one hundred billion dollars during the entire current or immediately preceding calendar year, the surcharge is equal to the total amount of tax payable by each member of the affiliated group on all business activities taxed under RCW 82.04.290(2), before application of any tax credits, multiplied by the rate of sixty-six and two-thirds percent)). The surcharge is equal to the gross income of the business subject to the tax under RCW 82.04.290(2), multiplied by the rate of 1.22 percent.

(b) ((In))Except as provided in (e) of this subsection (1), in no case will the combined surcharge imposed under this subsection (((4)))(1) paid by all members of an affiliated group be ((less than four million dollars or)) more than ((seven))nine million dollars annually.

(c) For persons subject to the surcharge imposed under this subsection (((4)))(1) that report under one or more tax classifications, the surcharge applies only to business activities taxed under RCW 82.04.290(2).

(d) The surcharge imposed under this subsection (((4)))(1) must be reported and paid on a quarterly basis in a manner ((and frequency)) as required by the department. Returns and amounts payable under this subsection (1) are due by the last day of the month immediately following the end of the reporting period covered by the return. All other taxes must be reported and paid as required under RCW 82.32.045.

(e) To aid in the effective administration of the surcharge in this subsection (((4)))(1), the department may require persons believed to be engaging in advanced computing or affiliated with a person believed to be engaging in advanced computing to disclose whether they are a member of an affiliated group and, if so, to identify all other members of the affiliated group subject to the surcharge. If the department determines, by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence, that a person, with intent to evade the surcharge under this subsection (((4)))(1), failed to fully comply with this subsection (((4)))(1)(e), the ((seven))nine million dollar limitation in (b) of this subsection (((4)))(1) does not apply to the person's affiliated group.

(f) For the purposes of this subsection (((4)))(1) the following definitions apply:

(i) "Advanced computing" means designing or developing computer software or computer hardware, whether directly or contracting with another person, including modifications to computer software or computer hardware, cloud computing services, or operating an online marketplace, an online search engine, or online social networking platform;

(ii) "Affiliate" and "affiliated" means a person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with another person;

(iii) "Affiliated group" means a group of two or more persons that are affiliated with each other;

(iv) "Cloud computing services" means on-demand delivery of computing resources, such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and services, over the internet;

(v) "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; and

(vi) "Select advanced computing business" means a person who is a member of an affiliated group with at least one member of the affiliated group engaging in the business of advanced computing, and the affiliated group has worldwide gross revenue of more than twenty-five billion dollars during the ((entire current or)) immediately preceding calendar year. A person who is primarily engaged within this state in the provision of commercial mobile service, as that term is defined in 47 U.S.C. Sec. 332(d)(1), shall not be considered a select advanced computing business. A person who is primarily engaged in this state in the operation and provision of access to transmission facilities and infrastructure that the person owns or leases for the transmission of voice, data, text, sound, and video using wired telecommunications networks shall not be considered a select advanced computing business.

(((5)))(2) The workforce education investment surcharge((s)) under this section ((do))does not apply to any hospital as defined in RCW 70.41.020, including any hospital that comes within the scope of chapter 71.12 RCW if the hospital is also licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW.

(((6)))(3) Revenues from the surcharge((s)) under this section must be deposited directly into the workforce education investment account established in RCW 43.79.195.

(((7)))(4) The department has the authority to determine through an audit or other investigation whether a person is subject to the surcharge((s)) imposed in this section. ((The department's determination that a person is subject to the surcharge is presumed to be correct unless the person shows by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that the department's determination was incorrect. The increased evidentiary standard under this subsection (7) does not apply after January 1, 2022.))

Sec. 5. RCW 82.04.4451 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 23 s 1102 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) In computing the tax imposed under this chapter, a credit is allowed against the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter, as provided in this section. Except for taxpayers that report at least fifty percent of their taxable amount under RCW 82.04.255, 82.04.290(2)(a), and 82.04.285, the maximum credit for a taxpayer for a reporting period is ((thirty-five))sixty dollars multiplied by the number of months in the reporting period, as determined under RCW 82.32.045. For a taxpayer that reports at least fifty percent of its taxable amount under RCW 82.04.255, 82.04.290(2)(a), and 82.04.285, the maximum credit for a reporting period is ((seventy))one hundred twenty-five dollars multiplied by the number of months in the reporting period, as determined under RCW 82.32.045.

(2) When the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter is equal to or less than the maximum credit, a credit is allowed equal to the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter.

(3) When the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter exceeds the maximum credit, a reduced credit is allowed equal to twice the maximum credit, minus the tax otherwise due under this chapter, but not less than zero.

(4) The department may prepare a tax credit table consisting of tax ranges using increments of no more than five dollars and a corresponding tax credit to be applied to those tax ranges. The table shall be prepared in such a manner that no taxpayer will owe a greater amount of tax by using the table than would be owed by performing the calculation under subsections (1) through (3) of this section. A table prepared by the department under this subsection must be used by all taxpayers in taking the credit provided in this section.

Sec. 6. RCW 82.32.045 and 2019 c 63 s 2 and 2019 c 8 s 302 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter and subsection (6) of this section, payments of the taxes imposed under chapters 82.04, 82.08, 82.12, 82.14, and 82.16 RCW, along with reports and returns on forms prescribed by the department, are due monthly within twenty-five days after the end of the month in which the taxable activities occur.

(2) The department of revenue may relieve any taxpayer or class of taxpayers from the obligation of remitting monthly and may require the return to cover other longer reporting periods, but in no event may returns be filed for a period greater than one year. Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, for these taxpayers, tax payments are due on or before the last day of the month next succeeding the end of the period covered by the return.

(3) For annual filers, tax payments, along with reports and returns on forms prescribed by the department, are due on or before April 15th of the year immediately following the end of the period covered by the return.

(4) The department of revenue may also require verified annual returns from any taxpayer, setting forth such additional information as it may deem necessary to correctly determine tax liability.

(5) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section, the department may relieve any person of the requirement to file returns if the following conditions are met:

(a) The person's value of products, gross proceeds of sales, or gross income of the business, from all business activities taxable under chapter 82.04 RCW, is less than:

(i) ((Twenty-eight))Fifty thousand dollars per year; or

(ii) ((Forty-six))One hundred thousand ((six hundred sixty-seven)) dollars per year for persons generating at least fifty percent of their taxable amount from activities taxable under RCW 82.04.255, 82.04.290(2)(a), and 82.04.285;

(b) The person's gross income of the business from all activities taxable under chapter 82.16 RCW is less than twenty-four thousand dollars per year; and

(c) The person is not required to collect or pay to the department of revenue any other tax or fee which the department is authorized to collect.

(6)(a) Taxes imposed under chapter 82.08 or 82.12 RCW on taxable events that occur beginning January 1, 2019, through June 30, 2019, and payable by a consumer directly to the department are due, on returns prescribed by the department, by July 25, 2019.

(b) This subsection (6) does not apply to the reporting and payment of taxes imposed under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW:

(i) On the retail sale or use of motor vehicles, vessels, or aircraft; or

(ii) By consumers who are engaged in business, unless the department has relieved the consumer of the requirement to file returns pursuant to subsection (5) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The provisions of RCW 82.32.805 and 82.32.808 do not apply to this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

(2) Sections 1 through 3 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect April 1, 2020.

(3) Sections 5 and 6 of this act take effect January 1, 2021.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. Section 4 of this act applies both prospectively and retroactively to January 1, 2020.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. Section 3 of this act applies beginning with gross income of the business, as defined in RCW 82.04.080, received or accrued by taxpayers, on or after April 1, 2020.

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