The Washington Department of Revenue determined that a taxpayer did not qualify for the B&O tax deduction for payments made to an affiliate for the provision of “paymaster services” under R.C.W. § 82.04.43393. The paymaster services deduction did not apply to the taxpayer, which provided payroll services to affiliate restaurant employers, because the taxpayer had
Washington
Washington Court Games the Sales Tax Trade-In Exclusion
The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the Washington Department of Revenue’s denial of a sales tax exclusion for trade-ins of software and hardware. GameStop provides customers with a trade-in credit for software and hardware and allows customers to apply these credits towards future purchases of software and hardware. The Department denied GameStop’s exclusion for two…
Pass This On: Washington Court of Appeals Holds Prescription Drug Payments Subject to B&O Tax
On March 26, 2019, the Washington Court of Appeals held that a pharmacy benefit management company’s payments from clients (e.g., health maintenance organizations, health insurers, etc.) for the value of prescription drugs, were subject to the Washington B&O tax. The taxpayer manages the clients’ prescription drug benefit programs and performs activities, including contracting with third-party…
Washington Sources ATM Card Processor’s Receipts to the Location of its Customers’ Business Activities for B&O Tax
The Washington Department of Revenue Appeals Division ruled that for B&O apportionment purposes under the “services and other activities” tax classification, an out-of-state automated teller machine (ATM) card transaction processor’s receipts are properly sourced to the location of its financial institution customers’ ATM transaction activities. The Appeals Division found that location to be the location…
Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard Publication–Third Quarter 2018
This is the eleventh edition of the Eversheds Sutherland SALT Scoreboard, and the third edition of 2018. Each quarter, we tally the results of what we deem to be significant taxpayer wins and losses and analyze those results. This edition of the SALT Scoreboard includes a discussion of California combined reporting, insights regarding the Washington…
Washington Court of Appeals Finds Lowe’s Ineligible for Bad Debt Deduction
The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the denial of sales tax and B&O tax refund claims filed by Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC based on the bad debt deduction. Lowe’s, a home improvement retail store with locations in Washington, entered into private label credit card (“PLCC”) agreements with two issuing banks. Among the typical terms of…
Superior Court of Washington Strikes Down New Income Tax on High Income Residents
By Liz Cha and Eric Coffill
The Superior Court of Washington for King County held that Seattle’s new income tax on “high income residents” violates a provision of Washington state law which prohibits a city from levying a tax on net income.
On July 14, 2017, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed Seattle Ordinance No. 125339,…
Washington Strikes and Hits Again – Nonresident Jeweler Subject to Washington B&O Tax
By Chelsea Marmor and Jonathan Feldman
The Washington Administrative Review and Hearings Division of the Department of Revenue found that an out-of-state diamond and gold wholesaler was subject to the business and occupation (B&O) tax based on in-state consigned property. The wholesaler consigned jewels to Washington jewelry retailers for five days at a time, during…
Roam Where You Want To: City of Seattle Lacks Authority to Tax Foreign Roaming Charges
By Maria Todorova and Suzanne Palms
The Washington Court of Appeals recently held that Seattle could not impose a utility tax on revenue derived from international roaming charges (charges for mobile telephone communications that originate in a foreign country). City of Seattle v. T-Mobile West Corp., No. 75423-8-1 (Wash. Ct. App. May 22, 2017)…
Marketplace Providers Are Statutorily Required to Collect Sales Tax in Minnesota and Washington
By Jeff Friedman and Stephanie Do
A new landmark sales tax statute has been adopted in Minnesota, which expands sales tax collection requirements to those retailers that sell their goods on certain “marketplaces.” Generally, only a retailer that is physically present in a state is required to collect and remit the state’s sales tax. The…



