Washington may be on the verge of an historic change improving the way it resolves tax controversies. SB 5449 would establish a tax court in the judicial branch, independent from any taxing authority. Judges with tax expertise would decide cases, with options for informal and expedited proceedings available through a commissioners department. Benefits include reducing the number of levels of appellate review for tax cases, removing political considerations from appointments of decisionmakers, and creating a clearly precedential body of tax decisions. All this is currently missing from Washington’s system. The Council On State Taxation (COST) projects that passage of this bill would raise Washington’s grade on its Tax Appeals & Procedural Requirements Scorecard from a “C” to an “A-.” Senators need to hear encouragement to support SB 5449 from taxpayers and practitioners as soon as possible. Please call your senator today.
The bill and senators’ contact information is at http://leg.wa.gov/.
For more information, visit APTC's Washington Property Tax Updates' page.
