Advocacy

On April 24th, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) announced that they adopted Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) Model Rule that allows exam candidates 30 months, from the time they receive their first section score, to pass all four sections of the CPA exam.

On Monday, April 17, the Department of Revenue began a new pilot program to allow individuals to make comments on proposed Washington Tax Decisions (WTD). This program will allow individuals to comment on proposed WTDs before they are published.

On February 15, NASBA released an exposure draft of the Uniform Accountancy Act Rule 5-7. The draft proposes multiple changes, but notably would increase the amount of time that a CPA candidate has to pass all required CPA exam sections from a rolling 18-month period to a rolling 24-month period. Comments are due April 17

The exposure draft would increase the amount of time that a CPA candidate has to pass all required CPA exam sections from a rolling 18-month window to 24 months. The WSCPA Board wants 36+ months.

On Friday, March 24, 2023, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the capital gains tax. In a 7-2 ruling in the Quinn v Washington State case, the majority ruled that the capital gains tax is an excise tax and is, therefore, legal in Washington State. Since it was ruled an excise tax, they did not weigh in on the constitutional questions.

The WSCPA has been closely watching two bills, one that would replace the B&O tax with a margin tax, and a potential wealth tax bill. Mike Nelson shares an update on whether these bills are expected to move forward in the legislative process.

At its meeting on January 27 in SeaTac, Washington, the Washington State Board of Accountancy adopted a rule that allows candidates in Washington to sit for the CPA exam after having earned 120 semester hours. This rule change does not modify the 150 hours required to be licensed as a CPA.

With the 2022 elections behind us, we adjust our focus to the 2023 Legislative Session. As we prepare for the launch of the session, WSCPA members will be meeting with legislators in Olympia during Hill Day on January 19 to discuss key matters expected to come before the legislature.

Join us in Olympia on January 19 for one of the year's most important advocacy events. This upcoming legislative session will be the first in-person session since 2020 and will be our first Hill Day in three years due to COVID-19.

The Tax Structure Work Group is considering recommending that the legislature replace Washington State's B&O tax with what many are calling a Texas-style margin tax. How close is this to becoming a reality? Mike Nelson, WSCPA Manager of Government Affairs, takes a look at the current state of the margin tax proposal.