(1)(a) The cities, working through the association of Washington cities, shall form a model ordinance development committee made up of a representative sampling of cities that as of July 27, 2003, impose a business and occupation tax. This committee shall work through the association of Washington cities to adopt a model ordinance on municipal gross receipts business and occupation tax. The model ordinance and subsequent amendments shall be adopted using a process that includes opportunity for substantial input from business stakeholders and other members of the public. Input shall be solicited from statewide business associations and from local chambers of commerce and downtown business associations in cities that levy a business and occupation tax.
(b) The department of commerce shall contract to post the model ordinance on an internet website and to make paper copies available for inspection upon request. The department of revenue and the department of licensing shall post copies of or links to the model ordinance on their internet websites. Additionally, a city that imposes a business and occupation tax must make copies of its ordinance available for inspection and copying as provided in chapter
42.56 RCW.
(c) The definitions and tax classifications in the model ordinance may not be amended more frequently than once every four years, however the model ordinance may be amended at any time to comply with changes in state law. Any amendment to a mandatory provision of the model ordinance must be adopted with the same effective date by all cities.
(2) A city that imposes a business and occupation tax must adopt the mandatory provisions of the model ordinance. The following provisions are mandatory:
(a) A system of credits that meets the requirements of RCW
35.102.060 and a form for such use;
(b) A uniform, minimum small business tax threshold of at least the equivalent of twenty thousand dollars in gross income annually. A city may elect to deviate from this requirement by creating a higher threshold or exemption but it shall not deviate lower than the level required in this subsection. If a city has a small business threshold or exemption in excess of that provided in this subsection as of January 1, 2003, and chooses to deviate below the threshold or exemption level that was in place as of January 1, 2003, the city must notify all businesses licensed to do business within the city at least one hundred twenty days prior to the potential implementation of a lower threshold or exemption amount;
(c) Tax reporting frequencies that meet the requirements of RCW
35.102.070;
(e) Claim periods that meet the requirements of RCW
35.102.100;
(f) Refund provisions that meet the requirements of RCW
35.102.110; and
(g) Definitions, which at a minimum, must include the definitions enumerated in RCW
35.102.030 and
35.102.120. The definitions in chapter
82.04 RCW shall be used as the baseline for all definitions in the model ordinance, and any deviation in the model ordinance from these definitions must be described by a comment in the model ordinance.
(3) Except for the deduction required by RCW
35.102.160 and the system of credits developed to address multiple taxation under subsection (2)(a) of this section, a city may adopt its own provisions for tax exemptions, tax credits, and tax deductions.
(4) Any city that adopts an ordinance that deviates from the nonmandatory provisions of the model ordinance shall make a description of such differences available to the public, in written and electronic form.
