Tacoma Dome vendors could get tax break after House action

Vendors at the Tacoma Dome would get a tax break reinstated under a bill that the Washington state House of Representatives approved Monday night.

By a unanimous vote, the House approved HB 1301 that exempts companies that contract to provide services at the city-owned Dome from paying the state’s leasehold excise tax. If the bill becomes law, the state would not collect about $22,000 in tax revenue a year. Pierce County and the city of Tacoma would lose $19,600 annually, according to a report by nonpartisan legislative staff.

Vendors did not pay the tax for decades, but the state Department of Revenue in 2016 said there was nothing in state law saying it was exempt. Venues that are exempt from the tax include the stadiums for the Seattle Mariners and Seahawks, the ShoWare Center in Kent and the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

The bill, which now moves to the Senate, puts the Dome on “equal footing” with those venues, said Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma. Beyond fairness, the need for the tax break is a factor in competition among venues vying to host events, he added.

Kirby recalled how shortly after taking office as a Tacoma city council member four decades ago, the mayor, Mike Parker, told him about the idea of building a domed stadium.

“I still have the shovel at home for the groundbreaking,” Kirby said during his floor speech.

This story was originally published March 12, 2019 at 9:44 AM.