AN ACT Relating to leasehold excise taxation; amending RCW 82.29A.020, 82.29A.120, and 84.40.175; and declaring an emergency.

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

Sec. 1. Section 2, chapter 61, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. as amended by section 11, chapter 196, Laws of 1979 ex. sess. and RCW 82.29A.020 are each amended to read as follows:

As used in this chapter the following terms shall be defined as follows, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Leasehold interest" shall mean an interest in publicly owned real or personal property which exists by virtue of any lease, permit, license, or any other agreement, written or verbal, between the public owner of the property and a person who would not be exempt from property taxes if that person owned the property in fee, granting possession and use, to a degree less than fee simple ownership: PROVIDED, That no interest in personal property (excluding land or buildings) which is owned by the United States, whether or not as trustee, or by any foreign government shall constitute a leasehold interest hereunder when the right to use such property is granted pursuant to a contract solely for the manufacture or production of articles for sale to the United States or any foreign government. The term "leasehold interest" shall include the rights of use or occupancy by others of property which is owned in fee or held in trust by a public corporation, commission, or authority created under RCW 35.21.730 or 35.21.660 if the property is listed on or is within a district listed on any federal or state register of historical sites. The term "leasehold interest" shall not include road or utility easements or rights of access, occupancy or use granted solely for the purpose of removing materials or products purchased from a public owner or the lessee of a public owner.

(2) "Taxable rent" shall mean contract rent as defined in subsection (a) of this subsection in all cases where the lease or agreement has been established or renegotiated through competitive bidding, or negotiated or renegotiated in accordance with statutory requirements regarding the rent payable, or negotiated or renegotiated under circumstances, established by public record, clearly showing that the contract rent was the maximum attainable by the lessor: PROVIDED, That after January 1, 1986, with respect to any lease which has been in effect for ten years or more without renegotiation, taxable rent may be established by procedures set forth in subsection (b) of this subsection. All other leasehold interests shall be subject to the determination of taxable rent under the terms of subsection (b) of this subsection.

(a) "Contract rent" shall mean the amount of consideration due as payment for a leasehold interest, including: The total of cash payments made to the lessor or to another party for the benefit of the lessor according to the requirements of the lease or agreement, including any rents paid by a sublessee; expenditures for the protection of the lessor's interest when required by the terms of the lease or agreement; and expenditures for improvements to the property to the extent that such improvements become the property of the lessor. Where the consideration conveyed for the leasehold interest is made in combination with payment for concession or other rights granted by the lessor, only that portion of such payment which represents consideration for the leasehold interest shall be part of contract rent.

"Contract rent" shall not include: (i) Expenditures made by the lessee, which under the terms of the lease or agreement, are to be reimbursed by the lessor to the lessee or expenditures for improvements and protection made pursuant to a lease or an agreement which requires that the use of the improved property be open to the general public and that no profit will inure to the lessee from the lease; (ii) expenditures made by the lessee for the replacement or repair of facilities due to fire or other casualty including payments for insurance to provide reimbursement for losses or payments to a public or private entity for protection of such property from damage or loss or for alterations or additions made necessary by an action of government taken after the date of the execution of the lease or agreement; (iii) improvements added to publicly owned property by a sublessee under an agreement executed prior to January 1, 1976, which have been taxed as personal property of the sublessee prior to January 1, 1976, or improvements made by a sublessee of the same lessee under a similar agreement executed prior to January 1, 1976, and such improvements shall be taxable to the sublessee as personal property; (iv) improvements added to publicly owned property if such improvements are being taxed as personal property to any person.

Any prepaid contract rent shall be considered to have been paid in the year due and not in the year actually paid with respect to prepayment for a period of more than one year. Expenditures for improvements with a useful life of more than one year which are included as part of contract rent shall be treated as prepaid contract rent and prorated over the useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease or agreement if the useful life is in excess of the remaining term of the lease or agreement. Rent prepaid prior to January 1, 1976, shall be prorated from the date of prepayment.

With respect to a "product lease", the value of agricultural products received as rent shall be the value at the place of delivery as of the fifteenth day of the month of delivery; with respect to all other products received as contract rent, the value shall be that value determined at the time of sale under terms of the lease.

(b) If it shall be determined by the department of revenue, upon examination of a lessee's accounts or those of a lessor of publicly owned property, that a lessee is occupying or using publicly owned property in such a manner as to create a leasehold interest and that such leasehold interest has not been established through competitive bidding, or negotiated in accordance with statutory requirements regarding the rent payable, or negotiated under circumstances, established by public record, clearly showing that the contract rent was the maximum attainable by the lessor, the department may establish a taxable rent computation for use in determining the tax payable under authority granted in this chapter based upon the following criteria: (i) Consideration shall be given to rental being paid to other lessors by lessees of similar property for similar purposes over similar periods of time; (ii) consideration shall be given to what would be considered a fair rate of return on the market value of the property leased less reasonable deductions for any restrictions on use, special operating requirements or provisions for concurrent use by the lessor, another person or the general public.

(3) "Product lease" as used in this chapter shall mean a lease of property for use in the production of agricultural or marine products to the extent that such lease provides for the contract rent to be paid by the delivery of a stated percentage of the production of such agricultural or marine products to the credit of the lessor or the payment to the lessor of a stated percentage of the proceeds from the sale of such products.

(4) "Renegotiated" means a change in the lease agreement which changes the agreed time of possession, restrictions on use, the rate of the cash rental or of any other consideration payable by the lessee to or for the benefit of the lessor, other than any such change required by the terms of the lease or agreement. In addition "renegotiated" shall mean a continuation of possession by the lessee beyond the date when, under the terms of the lease agreement, the lessee had the right to vacate the premises without any further liability to the lessor.

(5) "City" means any city or town.

Sec. 2. Section 12, chapter 61, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 82.29A.120 are each amended to read as follows:

After computation of the taxes imposed pursuant to RCW 82.29A.030 and 82.29A.040 there shall be allowed the following credits in determining the tax payable:

(1) ((With respect to a leasehold interest arising out of any lease or agreement, the terms of which were binding on the lessee prior to July 1, 1970, where such lease or agreement has not been renegotiated since that date, and excluding from such credit (a) any leasehold interest arising out of any lease of property covered by the provisions of RCW 28B.20.394 and (b) any lease or agreement including options to renew which extends beyond January 1, 1985, as follows:

~~With respect to taxes due in calendar year 1976, a credit equal to eighty percent of the tax otherwise due.~~

~~With respect to taxes due in calendar year 1977, a credit equal to sixty percent of the tax otherwise due.~~

~~With respect to taxes due in calendar year 1978, a credit equal to forty percent of the tax otherwise due.~~

~~With respect to taxes due in calendar year 1979, a credit equal to twenty percent of the tax otherwise due~~)) With respect to a leasehold interest other than a product lease, executed with an effective date of April 1, 1986, or thereafter, or a leasehold interest in respect to which the department of revenue under the authority of RCW 82.29A.020 does adjust the contract rent base used for computing the tax provided for in RCW 82.29A.030, there shall be allowed a credit against the tax as otherwise computed equal to the amount, if any, that such tax exceeds the property tax that would apply to such leased property if it were privately owned.

(2) With respect to a product lease, a credit of thirty-three percent of the tax otherwise due.

Sec. 3. Section 84.40.175, chapter 15, Laws of 1961 as amended by section 15, chapter 61, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 84.40.175 are each amended to read as follows:

At the time of making the assessment of real property, the assessor shall enter each description of property exempt under the provisions of RCW 84.36.005 through 84.36.060, and value and list the same in the manner and subject to the same rule as he is required to assess all other property, designating in each case to whom such property belongs, and for what purpose used, to entitle it to exemption, and he shall require from every person claiming such exemption proof of the right to such exemption: PROVIDED, That with respect to publicly owned property exempt from taxation under provisions of RCW 84.36.010, the assessor shall value only such property as is leased to or occupied by a private person under an agreement allowing such person to occupy or use such property for a private purpose when a request for such valuation is received from the department of revenue or the lessee of such property for use in ((~~an audit of~~)) determining the taxable rent as provided for in ((~~RCW 82.29A.020(2)(b)~~)) chapter 82.29A RCW: PROVIDED FURTHER, That this section shall not prohibit any assessor from valuing any public property leased to or occupied by a private person for private purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.