(1) Introduction. Persons engaged in certain public service businesses are taxable under the public utility tax. (See chapter
82.16 RCW.) These businesses are exempt from the business and occupation tax on the gross receipts which are subject to the public utility tax. (See RCW
82.04.310.) However, many persons taxable under the public utility tax are also engaged in some other business activity which is taxable under the business and occupation (B&O) tax. For example, a gas distribution company engaged in operating a plant or system for distribution of natural gas for sale, may also be engaged in selling at retail various gas appliances. Such a company would be taxable under the public utility tax with respect to its distribution of natural gas to consumers, and also taxable under the business and occupation tax with respect to its sale of gas appliances. It should also be noted that some services which generally are taxable under the public utility tax are taxable under the B&O tax if the service is performed for a new customer, prior to receipt of regular utility services by the customer.
(2)
Definitions. The following definitions apply to this section:
(a) The term "gross income" means the value proceeding or accruing from the performance of the particular public service or transportation businesses involved. It includes operations incidental to the public utility activity, but without any deduction on account of the cost of the commodity furnished or sold, the cost of materials used, labor costs, interest, discount, delivery costs, taxes, or any other expense whatsoever paid or accrued and without any deduction on account of losses.
(b) The term "service charge" means those specific charges made to a customer for providing a specific service. The term includes the actual charge to a customer for the sale or distribution of water, gas, or electricity. This term does not include utility local improvement district assessments (ULID) or local improvement district assessments (LID).
(c) The term "subject to control by the state" means control by the utilities and transportation commission or any other state department required by law to exercise control of a business of a public service nature as to rates charged or services rendered.
(3)
Persons taxable under the public utility tax. The term "public service businesses" includes any of the businesses defined in RCW
82.16.010 (1) through (9), and (11). It also includes any business subject to control by the state, or having the powers of eminent domain, or any business declared by the legislature to be of a public service nature, irrespective of whether the business has the powers of eminent domain or the state exercises its control over the business. It includes, among others, without limiting the scope thereof: Railroad, express, railroad car, water distribution, sewerage collection, light and power, telegraph, gas distribution, urban transportation and common carrier vessels under sixty-five feet in length, motor transportation, tugboat businesses, certain airplane transportation, boom, dock, ferry, pipe line, toll bridge, toll logging road, and wharf businesses. (See WAC
458-20-251 for sewerage collection.) Persons engaged in these business activities are subject to the public utility tax even if they are not publicly recognized as providing that type of service or the amount of income from these activities is not substantial.
(a) "Light and power business" includes charges made for the "wheeling" of electricity for others. "Wheeling" is the activity of delivering or distributing electricity owned by others using power lines and equipment of the person doing the wheeling.
(b) Persons engaged in hauling for hire by motor vehicle should also refer to WAC
458-20-180.
(c) Persons hauling property, other than U.S. mail, by air transportation equipment are taxable under the other public service public utility tax. Income from the hauling of U.S. mail or passengers is not subject to the public utility tax because of specific federal law. (See 49 U.S.C. section 1301 and section 1513(a).)
(d) Persons engaged in hauling persons or property for hire by watercraft between points in Washington are taxable under the public utility tax. Income from operating tugboats of any size and income from the sale of transportation services by vessels over sixty-five feet is taxable under the public service utility tax classification. Income from the sale of transportation services using vessels under sixty-five feet, other than tugboats, is taxable under "vessels under sixty-five feet" public utility tax classification. These classifications include businesses engaged in chartering or transporting persons by water from one location in Washington to another location within this state. This does not include sightseeing tours or activities which are in the nature of guided tours where the tour may include some water transportation. Persons engaged in providing tours should refer to WAC
458-20-258.
(e) Income from activities which are incidental to a public utility activity are generally taxable under the public utility tax when performed for an existing customer. This includes charges for line extensions, connection fees, line drop charges, start up fees, pole replacements, testing, replacing meters, line repairs, line raisings, pole contact charges, load factor charges, meter reading fees, etc. However, if any of these services are performed for a customer prior to sale of a public utility service to the customer, the income is taxable under the business and occupation tax. (See subsection (4) of this section.)
(4)
Business and occupation tax. As indicated above, services which are incidental to a public utility activity are generally subject to the public utility tax. However, these types of charges are taxable under the service and other business activities B&O tax classification if performed for a customer prior to receipt of the utility services (gas, water, electricity) by a new customer. A "new customer" is a customer who previously has not received utility services, such as water, gas, or electricity, at the location where the charge for a specific service was provided. For example, a customer of a water supplier who currently receives water at a residence constructs a new residence a short distance from the first location. This customer will be considered a "new customer" with respect to any charges for services performed at the new location until the customer actually receives water at the new location, even though this customer may be receiving services at a different location. The charge for installing a meter or a connection charge for this customer at the new location would be taxable under the service and other activities B&O tax classification.
Amounts charged to customers as interest or penalties are generally taxable under the service and other business activities B&O tax classification. This includes interest charged for failure to timely pay for utility services or for special services which were performed prior to the customer receiving services, such as connection charges. However, any interest and/or penalty charged because of the failure to timely pay a LID or ULID assessment will not be taxable for the public utility tax or the B&O tax.
(5)
Tax rates. The rates of tax for each business activity are imposed under RCW
82.16.020 and set forth on appropriate lines of the combined excise tax return forms.
(6)
Uniform system of accounts. In distinguishing gross income taxable under the public utility tax from gross income taxable under the business and occupation tax, the department of revenue will be guided by the uniform system of accounts established for the specific type of utility concerned. However, because of differences in the uniform systems of accounts established for various types of utility businesses, such guides will not be deemed controlling for the purposes of classifying revenue under the Revenue Act.
(7)
Volume exemption. Persons subject to the public utility tax are exempt from the payment of this tax if the taxable income from utility activities does not meet a minimum threshold. Prior to July 1, 1994, there was a similar exemption for the business and occupation tax with different threshold amounts. Beginning July 1, 1994, the law provides for a B&O tax credit for taxpayers who have a minimal B&O tax liability. (See WAC
458-20-104.) The volume exemption for the public utility tax applies independently of the business and occupation tax credit or exemption. The volume exemption for the public utility tax applies for any reporting period in which taxable income reported under the combined total of all public utility tax classifications does not equal or exceed the minimum taxable amount for the reporting periods assigned to such persons according to the following schedule:
| Monthly reporting basis . . . . . . . . . . . . | $500 per month |
| Quarterly reporting basis . . . . . . . . . . . . | $1500 per quarter |
| Annual reporting basis . . . . . . . . . . . . | $6000 per annum |
(8)
Exemption of amounts or value paid or contributed to any county, city, town, political subdivision, or municipal corporation for capital facilities. RCW
82.04.417 previously provided an exemption from the public utility tax and the business and occupation tax for amounts received by cities, counties, towns, political subdivisions, or municipal corporations representing contributions for capital facilities. These contributions are often referred to as "contributions in aid of construction." This law was repealed effective July 1, 1993, and this exemption is no longer available after that date. (See chapter 25, Laws of 1993 sp.s.) However, contributions in the form of equipment or facilities will not be considered as taxable income. For example, if an industrial customer purchases and installs transformers which it donates to a public utility district as a condition of receiving future service, the public utility district will not be subject to the public utility tax or B&O tax on the receipt of the donated transformers. For a water or sewerage collection business, the value of pipe, valves, pumps, or similar items donated by a developer to the utility business would not be taxable income to the utility business. Monetary payments are considered to be payments for installation of facilities so that a customer may receive the public utility commodity or service. When the facilities are installed or constructed by the customer and subsequently given to the utility business, there is no payment for installation of the facilities.
(9)
Specific deductions. Amounts derived from the following sources may be deducted from the gross income under the public utility tax if included in the gross amounts reported:
(a) Amounts derived by municipally owned or operated public services businesses directly from taxes levied for the support thereof, but not including service charges which are spread on the property tax rolls and collected as taxes. LID and ULID assessments, including interest and penalties on such assessments, will not be considered part of the taxable income because they are exercises of the jurisdiction's taxing authority. These assessments may be composed of a share of the costs of capital facilities, installation labor, connection fees, etc. A deduction may be taken for these amounts if they are included in the LID or ULID assessments.
(b) Amounts derived from the sale of commodities to persons in the same public service business as the seller, for resale as such within this state. This deduction is allowed only with respect to water distribution, light and power, gas distribution or other public service businesses which furnish water, electrical energy, gas or any other commodity in the performance of a public service business.
(c) Amounts actually paid by a taxpayer to another person taxable under chapter
82.16 RCW as the latter's portion of the consideration due for services jointly furnished by both. This includes the amount paid to a ferry company for the transportation of a vehicle and its contents (but not amounts paid to state-owned or operated ferries) when such vehicle is carrying freight or passengers for hire and is being operated by a person engaged in the business of urban transportation or motor transportation. It does not include amounts paid for the privilege of moving such vehicles over toll bridges. However, this deduction applies only to the purchases of services and does not include the purchase of commodities. The following examples show how this deduction and the deduction for sales of commodities would apply:
(i) CITY Water Department purchases water from Neighboring City Water Department. CITY sells the water to its customers. Neighboring City Water Department may take a deduction for its sales of water to CITY since this is a sale of water (commodities) to a person in the same public service business. CITY may not take a deduction for its payment to Neighboring City Water as "services jointly furnished." The service or sale of water to the end consumers was made solely by CITY and was not a jointly furnished service.
(ii) Customer A hires ABC Transport to haul goods from Tacoma, Washington to a manufacturing facility at Bellingham. ABC Transport subcontracts part of the haul to XYZ Transport and has XYZ haul the goods from Tacoma to Everett where the goods are loaded into ABC's truck. ABC may deduct the payments it makes to XYZ as a "jointly furnished service."
(d) Amounts derived from the distribution of water through an irrigation system, solely for irrigation purposes.
(e) Amounts derived from the transportation of commodities from points of origin in this state to final destination outside this state, or from points of origin outside this state to final destination in this state with respect to which the carrier grants to the shipper the privilege of stopping the shipment in transit at some point in this state for the purpose of storing, manufacturing, milling, or other processing, and thereafter forwards the same commodity, or its equivalent, in the same or converted form, under a through freight rate from point of origin to final destination.
(f) Amounts derived from the transportation of commodities from points of origin in the state to an export elevator, wharf, dock or shipside on tidewater or navigable tributaries thereto from which such commodities are forwarded, without intervening transportation, by vessel, in their original form, to an interstate or foreign destination: Provided, That no deduction will be allowed when the point of origin and the point of delivery to such export elevator, wharf, dock, or shipside are located within the corporate limits of the same city or town. The following examples show how this deduction applies:
(i) ABC Trucking delivers logs to a storage area which is adjacent to the dock from where shipments are made by vessel to a foreign country. The logs go through a peeling process at the storage area prior to being placed on the vessel. The peeling process changes the form of the original log. Because the form of the log is changed, ABC Trucking may not take a deduction for the haul to the storage area. It is immaterial that the trucker may be paid based on an "export" rate.
(ii) ABC Trucking hauls logs from the woods to a log storage area which is adjacent to the dock. The logs will be sorted prior to being placed in the hold of the vessel, but no further processing will be performed. The storage area is quite large and the logs will be moved by log stacker and will be placed alongside the ship. The logs are loaded using the ship's tackle and then transported to a foreign country. ABC Trucking may take a deduction for the amounts received for transporting the logs from the woods to the log storage area. The movement of the logs within the log storage area is not considered to be "intervening transportation," but is part of the stevedoring activity.
(iii) ABC Trucking hauls logs from the woods to a "staging area" where the logs are sorted. After sorting, XY Hauling will transport some of the logs from the staging area to local mills for lumber manufacturing and other logs to the dock which is located approximately five miles from the staging area where the logs immediately are loaded on a vessel for shipment to Japan. The dock and staging area are not within the corporate city limits of the same city. ABC Trucking may not take a deduction for amounts received for hauling logs to the staging area. Even though some of these logs ultimately will be exported, ABC Trucking is not delivering the logs directly to the dock where the logs will be loaded on a vessel.
However, XY Hauling may take a deduction for the income from hauls to the dock. Its haul was the final transportation prior to the logs being placed on the vessel for shipment to Japan. The logs remained in their original form with no additional processing. The haul also did not originate or terminate within the corporate city limits of the same city or town. All the conditions were met for XY Hauling to claim the deduction.
(g) Amounts derived from the distribution of water by a nonprofit water association which are used for capital improvements by that association.
(h) Amounts received from sales of power which is delivered by the seller out-of-state. A deduction may also be taken for the sale of power to a person who will resell the power outside Washington where the power is delivered in Washington. These sales of power are also not subject to the manufacturing B&O tax.
(i) Amounts received for providing commuter share riding or ride sharing for the elderly and the handicapped in accordance with RCW
46.74.010.
(j) Amounts expended to improve consumers' efficiency of energy end use or to otherwise reduce the use of electrical energy or gas by the consumer. (For details see WAC
458-20-17901.)
(k) Income from transporting persons or property by air, rail, water, or by motor transportation equipment where either the origin or destination of the haul is outside the state of Washington.
(10)
Other deductions. In addition to the deductions discussed above there also may be deducted from the reported gross income (if included within the gross), the following:
(a) The amount of cash discount actually taken by the purchaser or customer.
(b) The amount of credit losses actually sustained.
(c) Amounts received from insurance companies in payment of losses.
(d) Amounts received from individuals and others in payment of damages caused by them to the utility's plant or equipment.
(11)
Exchanges by light and power businesses. There is no specific exemption which applies to an "exchange" of electrical energy or the rights thereto. However, exchanges of electrical energy between light and power businesses do qualify for deduction in computing the public utility tax as being sales of power to another light and power business for resale. An exchange is a transaction which is considered to be a sale and involves a delivery or transfer of energy or the rights thereto by one party to another for which the second party agrees, subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement, to deliver electrical energy at the same or another time. Examples of deductible exchange transactions include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) The exchange of electric power for electric power between one light and power business and another light and power business;
(b) The transmission or transfer of electric power by one light and power business to another light and power business pursuant to the agreement for coordination of operations among power systems of the pacific northwest executed as of September 15, 1964;
(c) The Bonneville Power Administration's acquisition of electric power for resale to its Washington customers in the light and power business;
(d) The residential exchange of electric power entered into between a light and power business and the administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) pursuant to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act, P.L. 96-501, Sec. 5(c), 16 U.S.C. 839(c) (Supp. 1982). In some cases, power is not physically transferred, but the purpose of the residential exchange is for BPA to pay a "subsidy" to the exchanging utilities. For public utility tax reporting purposes, these subsidies will be treated as a nontaxable adjustment (rebate or discount) for purchases of power from BPA.
(12)
Customer billing information. RCW
82.16.090 requires that customer billings issued by light or power businesses or gas distribution businesses serving more than twenty thousand customers shall include the following information:
(a) The rates and amounts of taxes paid directly by the customer upon products or services rendered by such businesses; and
(b) The rate, origin and approximate amount of each tax levied upon the revenue of such businesses which has been added as a component of the amount charged to the customer. This does not include taxes levied by the federal government or taxes levied under chapters
54.28,
80.24, or
82.04 RCW.
(13)
Motor or urban transportation. For specific rules pertaining to the classifications of "urban transportation" and "motor transportation," see WAC
458-20-180.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300. 94-13-034, § 458-20-179, filed 6/6/94, effective 7/7/94; 86-18-069 (Order 86-16), § 458-20-179, filed 9/3/86; 85-22-041 (Order 85-6), § 458-20-179, filed 11/1/85; 83-01-059 (Order ET 82-13), § 458-20-179, filed 12/15/82; Order ET 71-1, § 458-20-179, filed 7/22/71; Order ET 70-3, § 458-20-179 (Rule 179), filed 5/29/70, effective 7/1/70.]