Will a change in Washington State sales tax law raise more money for the state?

Jun 19, 2019
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Written by wpengine
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A Legislature majority believes a change in state sales tax law effective next month will net Washington State an estimated $90 million in additional revenues by 2025.

But the online news site The Lens isn’t so sure.

Qualified out-of-state shoppers in Washington State will have to apply for sales tax rebates after first having to pay the tax as of July 1. Until then, they receive immediate sales tax exemptions if they can document their residence is from a qualified out-of-state location.

This procedural change as a result of SSB 5997 that met with lots of business opposition including from Washington Retail. The business community argued that affected retailers would suffer lost sales if shoppers had to wait for a refund to be processed.

The Lens piece is here.