Service and Other Business Activities

No agency filings affecting this section since 2003 (1) Chapter 82.04 RCW imposes a tax upon every person for the privilege of engaging in business in this state. Persons engaged in the certain specifically named business activities are subject to a tax rate set out in the statute which is measured by value of products, gross sales or gross income, e.g.: Extracting, manufacturing, retailing, wholesaling, printing and publishing, and building and repairing of publicly owned streets and roads.

(2) Persons engaged in any business activity, other than or in addition to those for which a specific rate is provided in the statute, are taxable under a classification known as service and other business activities, and so designated upon return forms. In general, it includes persons rendering professional or personal services to persons (as distinguished from services rendered to personal property of persons) such as accountants, aerial surveyors and map makers, agents, ambulances, appraisers, architects, assayers, attorneys, automobile brokers, barbers, baseball clubs, beauty shop owners, brokers, chemists, chiropractors, collection agents, community television antenna owners, court reporters, dentists, detectives, employment agents, engineers, financiers, funeral directors, refuse collectors, hospital owners, janitors, kennel operators, laboratory operators, landscape architects, lawyers, loan agents, music teachers, oculists, orchestra or band leaders contracting to provide musical services, osteopathic physicians, physicians, real estate agents, school bus operators, school operators, sewer services other than collection, stenographers, warehouse operators who are not subject to other specific statutory tax classifications, teachers, theater operators, undertakers, veterinarians, and numerous other persons.

(3) It does not include persons engaged in the business of cleaning, repairing, improving, etc., the personal property of others, such as automobile, house, jewelry, radio, refrigerator and machinery repairmen, laundry or dry cleaners. Also, it does not include certain personal and professional services specifically included within the definition of the term "sale at retail" in RCW 82.04.050 , such as amusement and recreation businesses of a participatory nature (see WAC 458-20-183 ); abstract, title insurance and escrow businesses, credit bureau businesses and automobile parking and storage garage businesses. Furthermore, it does not include persons who render services to others in the capacity of employees as distinguished from independent contractors. (See WAC 458-20-105 .)

(4) Business and occupation tax. Persons engaged in any business activity, other than or in addition to those for which a specific rate is provided in chapter 82.04 RCW, are taxable under the service and other business activities classification upon gross income from such business.

(5) Persons engaged in a public service business taxable under chapter 82.16 RCW (see WAC 458-20-179 ) are exempt from business tax under chapter 82.04 RCW with respect to such businesses.

(6) Retail sales tax. The retail sales tax applies upon all sales of tangible personal property made to persons for use or consumption in performing a business activity which is taxable under the service and other business activities classification of chapter 82.04 RCW. [Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300 . WSR 86-18-069 (Order 86-16), § 458-20-224, filed 9/3/86; WSR 83-17-099 (Order ET 83-6), § 458-20-224, filed 8/23/83; WSR 83-07-032 (Order ET 83-15), § 458-20-224, filed 3/15/83; Order ET 70-3, § 458-20-224 (Rule 224), filed 5/29/70, effective 7/1/70.]