S-3137.5

SENATE BILL 5813

BySenators C. Wilson, Stanford, Alvarado, Frame, Nobles, Pedersen, and Valdez

AN ACT Relating to increasing funding to the education legacy trust account for public education, child care, early learning, and higher education by creating a more progressive rate structure for the capital gains tax and estate tax; amending RCW 82.87.040 and 83.100.040; reenacting and amending RCW 83.100.020; creating new sections; and providing an effective date.

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

(2) The legislature further finds that in 2024, when given the opportunity to retain investments in the education legacy trust account for high quality early learning and child care, 64.11 percent of Washington voters in 32 of its 39 counties voted to uphold the excise tax on sales of long-term capital assets for this purpose.

(3) Therefore, the legislature will fund ongoing support of public K-12 education, early learning and child care, and higher education, by dedicating revenues from this act to the education legacy trust account. The legislature further recognizes that a tax system that is fair, balanced, and works for everyone is essential to help all Washingtonians grow and thrive. Washington's tax system remains the second most regressive in the nation as it asks those with the least to pay the most as a percentage of their income. Low-income Washingtonians pay at least three times more in state and local taxes as a percentage of their income than the state's highest-income households.

(4) To help increase funding to the education legacy trust account, the legislature intends to levy an additional excise tax on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets, which equals 2.90 percent multiplied by the portion of an individual's Washington capital gains exceeding $1,000,000, and by creating a more progressive rate structure for the estate tax by increasing the top tier rates up to 35 percent. Further, the legislature intends to increase the exclusion amount to $3,000,000 for the estate tax. The legislature recognizes that levying these taxes with a more progressive rate structure, and increasing the exclusion amount for the estate tax, will have the additional effect of making material progress toward rebalancing the state's tax code.

Sec. 101. RCW 82.87.040 and 2021 c 196 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) Beginning January 1, 2022, an excise tax is imposed on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets. Only individuals are subject to payment of the tax, which equals seven percent multiplied by an individual's Washington capital gains.

(2) The tax levied in subsection (1) of this section is necessary for the support of the state government and its existing public institutions.

(3) If an individual's Washington capital gains are less than zero for a taxable year, no tax is due under this section and no such amount is allowed as a carryover for use in the calculation of that individual's adjusted capital gain, as defined in RCW 82.87.020(1), for any taxable year. To the extent that a loss carryforward is included in the calculation of an individual's federal net long-term capital gain and that loss carryforward is directly attributable to losses from sales or exchanges allocated to this state under RCW 82.87.100, the loss carryforward is included in the calculation of that individual's adjusted capital gain for the purposes of this chapter. An individual may not include any losses carried back for federal income tax purposes in the calculation of that individual's adjusted capital gain for any taxable year.

(4)(a) The tax imposed in this section applies to the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets owned by the taxpayer, whether the taxpayer was the legal or beneficial owner of such assets at the time of the sale or exchange. The tax applies when the Washington capital gains are recognized by the taxpayer in accordance with this chapter.

(b) For purposes of this chapter:

(i) An individual is considered to be a beneficial owner of long-term capital assets held by an entity that is a pass-through or disregarded entity for federal tax purposes, such as a partnership, limited liability company, S corporation, or grantor trust, to the extent of the individual's ownership interest in the entity as reported for federal income tax purposes.

(ii) A nongrantor trust is deemed to be a grantor trust if the trust does not qualify as a grantor trust for federal tax purposes, and the grantor's transfer of assets to the trust is treated as an incomplete gift under Title 26 U.S.C. Sec. 2511 of the internal revenue code and its accompanying regulations. A grantor of such trust is considered the beneficial owner of the capital assets of the trust for purposes of the tax imposed in this section and must include any long-term capital gain or loss from the sale or exchange of a capital asset by the trust in the calculation of that individual's adjusted capital gain, if such gain or loss is allocated to this state under RCW 82.87.100.

Sec. 201. RCW 83.100.020 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1)(a) The applicable exclusion amount for the decedent's estate is the applicable exclusion amount in effect as of the date of the decedent's death. "Applicable exclusion amount" means:

(i) ((One million five hundred thousand dollars))$1,500,000 for decedents dying before January 1, 2006;

(ii) ((Two million dollars))$2,000,000 for estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2006, and before January 1, 2014; ((and))

(iii) $2,012,000 for estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2014, and before January 1, 2015;

(ix) For estates of decedents dying in calendar year ((2014))2026 and each calendar year thereafter, the amount in (a)(((ii)))(viii) of this subsection must be adjusted annually, except as otherwise provided in this subsection (1)(a)(((iii)))(ix). The annual adjustment is determined by multiplying ((two million dollars))$3,000,000 by the sum of one ((plus))and the percentage by which the most recent October consumer price index exceeds the consumer price index for October ((2012))2024, and rounding the result to the nearest ((one thousand dollars))$1,000. No adjustment is made for a calendar year if the adjustment would result in the same or a lesser applicable exclusion amount than the applicable exclusion amount for the immediately preceding calendar year. ((The applicable exclusion amount under this subsection (1)(a)(iii) for the decedent's estate is the applicable exclusion amount in effect as of the date of the decedent's death.))

(b) For purposes of this subsection (1), "consumer price index" means the consumer price index for all urban consumers, all items, for the Seattle((-Tacoma-Bremerton)) metropolitan area as calculated by the United States bureau of labor statistics. For the purposes of this subsection (1)(b), "Seattle metropolitan area" means the geographic area sample that includes Seattle and surrounding areas.

(2) "Decedent" means a deceased individual.

(3) "Department" means the department of revenue, the director of that department, or any employee of the department exercising authority lawfully delegated to him or her by the director.

(4) "Federal return" means any tax return required by chapter 11 of the internal revenue code.

(5) "Federal tax" means a tax under chapter 11 of the internal revenue code.

(6) "Federal taxable estate" means the taxable estate as determined under chapter 11 of the internal revenue code without regard to: (a) The termination of the federal estate tax under section 2210 of the internal revenue code or any other provision of law, and (b) the deduction for state estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes allowable under section 2058 of the internal revenue code.

(7) "Gross estate" means "gross estate" as defined and used in section 2031 of the internal revenue code.

(8) "Internal revenue code" means the United States internal revenue code of 1986, as amended or renumbered as of January 1, 2005.

(9) "Person" means any individual, estate, trust, receiver, cooperative association, club, corporation, company, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, or other entity and, to the extent permitted by law, any federal, state, or other governmental unit or subdivision or agency, department, or instrumentality thereof.

(10) "Person required to file the federal return" means any person required to file a return required by chapter 11 of the internal revenue code, such as the personal representative of an estate.

(11) "Property" means property included in the gross estate.

(12) "Resident" means a decedent who was domiciled in Washington at time of death.

(13) "Taxpayer" means a person upon whom tax is imposed under this chapter, including an estate or a person liable for tax under RCW 83.100.120.

(14) "Transfer" means "transfer" as used in section 2001 of the internal revenue code and includes any shifting upon death of the economic benefit in property or any power or legal privilege incidental to the ownership or enjoyment of property. However, "transfer" does not include a qualified heir disposing of an interest in property qualifying for a deduction under RCW 83.100.046 or ceasing to use the property for farming purposes.

(15) "Washington taxable estate" means the federal taxable estate and includes, but is not limited to, the value of any property included in the gross estate under section 2044 of the internal revenue code, regardless of whether the decedent's interest in such property was acquired before May 17, 2005, (a) plus amounts required to be added to the Washington taxable estate under RCW 83.100.047, (b) less: (i) The applicable exclusion amount under subsection (1) of this section; (ii) the amount of any deduction allowed under RCW 83.100.046; (iii) amounts allowed to be deducted from the Washington taxable estate under RCW 83.100.047; and (iv) the amount of any deduction allowed under RCW 83.100.048.

Sec. 202. RCW 83.100.040 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A tax in an amount computed as provided in this section is imposed on every transfer of property located in Washington. For the purposes of this section, any intangible property owned by a resident is located in Washington.

(2)(a) ((Except))(i) For estates of decedents dying before January 1, 2025, except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the amount of tax is the amount provided in the following table:

(b) If any property in the decedent's estate is located outside of Washington, the amount of tax is the amount determined in (a) of this subsection multiplied by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the value of the property located in Washington. The denominator of the fraction is the value of the decedent's gross estate. Property qualifying for a deduction under RCW 83.100.046 must be excluded from the numerator and denominator of the fraction.

(3) The tax imposed under this section is a stand-alone estate tax that incorporates only those provisions of the internal revenue code as amended or renumbered as of January 1, 2005, that do not conflict with the provisions of this chapter. The tax imposed under this chapter is independent of any federal estate tax obligation and is not affected by termination of the federal estate tax.

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