2020 legislative review
$ 2,500 per month . This bill initially would have helped 53,000 taxpayers , but later versions of the bill reduced this to 7,300 taxpayers . This bill would have made tax administration fairer and more efficient . Most of the revenue decline estimated in the fiscal note is from the inflation adjustment on the filing threshold for PUT liability . This bill received a hearing but died in committee .
SSB 6632 business licensing services
Passed / AWB Supported
AWB supported Substitute Senate Bill 6632 , sponsored by Sen . Dean Takko , D-Longview , which increases the statutory maximum rate for business license handling fees . They are changed to the following : license applications to open or reopen a business are increased from $ 19 to $ 90 and license renewal applications decreased from $ 11 to $ 10 . No handling fee is collected on a business license application by an existing business to open an additional location or obtain a nonresident city endorsement . All other business license applications maintain a statutory maximum rate of $ 19 . AWB was happy to work with the Department of Revenue on this bill and appreciated the inclusion of language requiring the DOR to annually review the balance of the business license account and decrease at least one handling fee should the balance exceed $ 1 million . This bill passed the Senate 27-21 , then passed the House 80-17 .
ESHB 2879 in-state manufacturing
Failed / AWB Supported
AWB supported Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2879 , sponsored by Rep . Brandon Vick , R-Vancouver , which directed the Department of Commerce , in consultation with the Legislature , to complete a study of public policies to grow manufacturing subsectors
Rep . Gael Tarleton , D-Ballard , chair of the House Finance Committee , meets with employers during the 2020 AWB Legislative Day and Hill Climb . ( Photo : Brian Mittge / AWB )
and manufacturing jobs throughout all Washington counties . This bill would have required Commerce to regularly meet with an advisory group of manufacturing stakeholders and consult with certain state agencies , in its completion of the study . The bill also would have required Commerce to complete the study and recommend policies to develop manufacturing across the state by Dec . 31 . The bill passed out of the House 98-0 and made it out of the Senate Financial Institutions , Economic Development & Trade Committee , but failed to receive a floor vote in the Senate .
ESHB 2880 aircraft fuel tax / research
Failed / AWB Supported
AWB supported Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2880 , sponsored by Rep . Tom Dent , R-Moses Lake . It would have created a state sales and use tax exemption , in the form of a remittance , for sales of aircraft fuel used for research and development purposes . The bill stipulated that research and development must be conducted as part of a test-flight program using a test-bed aircraft that is based in this state to test new aircraft-engine designs that advance new technologies or clean fuels . To claim the exemption , taxpayers must pay the tax on the fuel at the time of purchase and then request a remittance from the Department of Revenue ( DOR ). This bill included language stating that to be eligible , taxpayers must , in the 12 months before requesting the remittance , hire and retain at least 20 new full-time equivalent research and development employees . The exemption would have applied only to the state portion of the sales tax . The state portion of the sales tax would not have been reduced by any local sales tax that was deducted or credited against the state sales tax . The sales and use tax exemption on aircraft fuel would have been subject to review by JLARC and expired Jan . 1 , 2032 . The passage of this bill would have helped to keep us competitive with southwestern U . S . states . The bill passed out of the House 98-0
38 association of washington business