Airplane tax exemption legislation nears House vote

By CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE

Staff Writer

MOSES LAKE — A measure to renew a law that exempts repair and modification work on large private aircraft from state sales tax is still awaiting passage by the state House of Representatives. A vote on the measure may be taken Wednesday, a vote that could affect the economy in the Columbia Basin.

Proponents, such as the bill’s primary sponsor, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, say the tax policy should be renewed because it supports many jobs and a growing industry in Moses Lake.

“I think the bill is up for a vote first thing in the morning,” Warnick said on Tuesday. “I’m crossing my fingers.”

Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, said he expects the bill to come up for discussion and a vote not long after the House is expected to convene at 10 a.m. The measure was delayed, he said, because a number of other bills — such as the sex education measure recently passed by the House — have taken up a lot of the legislature’s time and attention.

“It’s the politics of the session,” Ybarra noted.

The Washington state Senate passed the aircraft tax exemption measure, numbered SB 6068, on Feb. 18 with a vote of 47 to 1. If passed by the House, the bill, called HB 2236, would then go to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.

The measure would renew exemptions from state sales, excise taxes and registration for “large private airplanes” owned by out-of-state residents but brought to Washington for repairs or modifications. The legislature passed the current exemption in 2013, and it expires at the end of June 2021.