WASHINGTON STATUTES AND CODES

82.32.665 - Joint tax avoidance review committee created.

Joint tax avoidance review committee created. (Expires July 1, 2011.)

There is hereby created a joint tax avoidance review committee which is a bipartisan committee consisting of three members of the senate, two from the majority caucus and one from the minority caucus, and three members of the house of representatives, two from the majority caucus and one from the minority caucus. The senate members of the committee must be appointed by the majority leader of the senate, and the house members of the committee must be appointed by the speaker of the house. The appointing authorities must also appoint one alternate member from each of the two largest caucuses of each legislative chamber.

     (1)(a) Members and alternates must be appointed as soon as possible after May 1, 2010, and their terms continue until such persons no longer wish to serve on the committee or no longer serve in the legislature, whichever occurs first.

     (b) A vacancy must be filled by the appointment of a legislator from the same legislative chamber and caucus as the original appointment. The appropriate appointing authority must make the appointment within thirty days of the vacancy occurring. Former committee members and alternates may be reappointed to the committee.

     (2) The committee must choose its chair and vice-chair from among its membership. The committee meets at the call of the chair. The chair of the committee must cause all meeting notices and committee documents to be sent to the committee members and alternates.

     (3) Staff support for the committee must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

     (4) The committee must:

     (a) Generally monitor the department's implementation of Part II, chapter 23, Laws of 2010 1st sp. sess., providing timely advice to the department in any rule making undertaken pursuant to the authority granted under RCW 82.32.655;

     (b) Seek input from stakeholders and other legislators as the committee may determine is desirable and useful in the furtherance of its mission herein described;

     (c) Review other cases, identified by the department, of tax avoidance transactions not described in RCW 82.32.655 that may represent examples of arrangements that circumvent the policies of this state and thus unfairly avoid taxes;

     (d) Consider the need for an explicit statutory construction standard to provide direction to the courts on the interpretation of Part II, chapter 23, Laws of 2010 1st sp. sess.; and

     (e) Provide a report to the fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate by December 31, 2010, which must include:

     (i) Recommended legislation on any matters that the committee deems advisable, including amendments to RCW 82.32.090, 82.32.655, and 82.32.660; and

     (ii) Recommendations for future legislative oversight of the department's implementation of RCW 82.32.090, 82.32.655, and 82.32.660.

     (5) For the purposes of this section, the disclosure of otherwise confidential tax information to the members of the committee is deemed to fall within the exception provided by *RCW 82.32.330(3)(d).

     (6) This section expires July 1, 2011.