The Washington State Department of Revenue was named co-winner of The Federation of Tax Administrators Outstanding Compliance Award for 2010.
The award recognizes Washington’s reseller permit project, which involved a legislatively directed shift from self-issued resale certificates to department-issued reseller permits. The new system is intended to curtail misuse of resale certificates by some businesses that were buying items for their own use without paying sales tax, costing state and local government an estimated $100 million annually.
The FTA judges noted that the agency implemented the new law in only six months by developing and testing paper and online applications, contacting nearly 500,000 businesses, creating an online video tutorial, providing content for business association Web sites and publicizing the change through news releases, speaking engagements and workshops.
