(1) A local government that creates a benefit zone and has received approval from the department under RCW 82.32.700 to impose the local option sales and use tax authorized in RCW 82.14.465 may use annually any excess local excise taxes received by it from taxable activity within the benefit zone to finance public improvement costs associated with the public improvements financed in whole or in part by hospital benefit zone financing. The use of excess local excise taxes must cease when tax allocation revenues are no longer necessary or obligated to pay the costs of the public improvements. Any participating taxing authority is authorized to allocate excess local excise taxes to the local government as long as the local government has received approval from the department under RCW 82.32.700 to impose the local option sales and use tax authorized in RCW 82.14.465. The legislature declares that it is a proper purpose of a local government or participating taxing authority to allocate excess local excise taxes for purposes of financing public improvements under this chapter.

     (2) A local government shall provide the department accurate information describing the geographical boundaries of the benefit zone at least seventy-five days before the effective date of the ordinance creating the benefit zone. The local government shall ensure that the boundary information provided to the department is kept current.

     (3) The department shall provide the necessary information to calculate excess local excise taxes to each local government that has provided boundary information to the department as provided in this section and that has received approval from the department under RCW 82.32.700 to impose the local option sales and use tax authorized in RCW 82.14.465.

     (4) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

     (a) "Base year" means the calendar year immediately following the creation of a benefit zone.

     (b) "Excess local excise taxes" means the amount of local excise taxes received by the local government during the measurement year from taxable activity within the benefit zone over and above the amount of local excise taxes received by the local government during the base year from taxable activity within the benefit zone. However, if a local government creates the benefit zone and reasonably determines that no activity subject to tax under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW occurred in the twelve months immediately preceding the creation of the benefit zone within the boundaries of the area that became the benefit zone, "excess local excise taxes" means the entire amount of local excise taxes received by the local government during a calendar year period beginning with the calendar year immediately following the creation of the benefit zone and continuing with each measurement year thereafter.

     (c) "Local excise taxes" means local revenues derived from the imposition of sales and use taxes authorized in RCW 82.14.030 at the tax rate that was in effect at the time the hospital benefit zone is approved by the department, except that if a local government reduces the rate of such tax after the revenue development area was approved, "local excise taxes" means the local revenues derived from the imposition of the sales and use taxes authorized in RCW 82.14.030 at the lower tax rate.

     (d) "Measurement year" means a calendar year, beginning with the calendar year following the base year and each calendar year thereafter, that is used annually to measure the amount of excess state excise taxes and excess local excise taxes required to be used to finance public improvement costs associated with public improvements financed in whole or in part by hospital benefit zone financing.

[2007 c 266 § 6; 2006 c 111 § 5.]

NOTES:

     Finding -- Application -- Effective date -- 2007 c 266: See notes following RCW 39.100.010.