Washington Bill Ties Sales Tax Deferrals to LEED Standards
On January 26, 2010
By Scott Wolfe Jr
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Thanks to the Beer With A Construction Lawyer blog for pointing out a new bill in the Washington State Legislature that has green building implications. The bill is sponsored by Senators Kastama, Rockefeller, and Ranker.
The bill, if passed, would offer very aggressive tax incentives to projects that meet LEED certification standards. Here is the breakdown:
Platinum Certification: 100% Sales and Use Tax Deferred
Gold Certification: 75% Sales and Use Tax Deferred
Silver Certification: 50% Sales and Use Tax Deferred
Less than Silver: 25% Sales and Use Tax Deferred
Projects would have to apply for the deferral before initiation of the construction.
The bill is interesting to green building nerds because it completely relies on the LEED green building standards published by the United States Green Building Council. While the LEED program is certainly the most widespread of programs in the country, it’s not without its critics. See Chris Cheatham’s recent article on his Green Building Law Update blog analyzing the complaint against the USGBC for using anti-competitive practices.
You can follow this bill at the legislature’s website, or by subscribing to the bill’s RSS feed. Download the original bill text.
This article was originally posted on Wolfe Law Group’s topic-specific Northwest Construction Law Blog.
About the Author: Scott Wolfe Jr
Scott Wolfe, Jr. obtained his J.D. degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Scott was recognized as a Leader in Law by CityBusiness Magazine. The son and grandson of general contractors, Scott is a construction litigator in the Pacific Northwest, and the founding member of the bi-coastal law firm, Wolfe Law Group. Scott is also the founder and CEO of Express Lien, Inc., a legal document preparation service for contractors. In 2008, City Business Magazine recognized Scott as one of its Innovators of the Year for the Express Lien concept. As an entrepreneur himself, Scott has a strong background in business and commercial transactions and laws. He focuses his practice on the legal issues facing the construction industry, and has represented clients in multi-million dollar construction disputes in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Scott is a LEED AP.
