Exemption
County government
Property Tax exemption · RCW 84.36.010(1) · enacted 1889
Details
- Citation
- RCW 84.36.010(1)
- Study reference
- E1362-1
- Tax type
- Property Tax
- Preference type
- Exemption
- Category
- Government
- Year enacted
- 1889
- End date
- None scheduled
Fiscal impact (2024 study estimates)
- Revenue if repealed — local ($M)
- FY 2024: 0 · FY 2025: 17.784 · FY 2026: 34.596 · FY 2027: 35.82
- Revenue if repealed — state ($M)
- FY 2024: 0 · FY 2025: 0 · FY 2026: 0 · FY 2027: 0
- Taxpayer savings — local ($M)
- FY 2024: 586.097 · FY 2025: 610.606 · FY 2026: 636.245 · FY 2027: 662.878
- Taxpayer savings — state ($M)
- FY 2024: 198.147 · FY 2025: 200.21 · FY 2026: 202.3 · FY 2027: 204.431
CTI = confidential taxpayer information · D = unable to disclose
From the 2024 DOR Tax Exemption Study
84.36.010(1) - County government Description Real and personal property owned by county government is exempt from property taxation. Purpose Property of a county government is exempt under the Washington Constitution. This reflects a long-standing legislative policy not to tax publicly owned property. Taxpayer ($ in millions): savings FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 State Taxes $198.147 $200.210 $202.300 $204.431 Local Taxes $586.097 $610.606 $636.245 $662.878 Repeal of Repealing a property tax exemption would not increase state revenues. A repeal exemption shifts the state property tax to the currently exempt taxpayers and reduces the tax burden of other taxpayers. It may decrease the local rate and possibly result in local taxing districts at their statutory maximum rate experiencing a revenue increase. A repeal of this exemption would require an amendment to Article VII of the Washington State Constitution. Potential ($ in millions): revenue gains FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027 from full repeal State Taxes $0.000 $0.000 $0.000 $0.000 Local Taxes $0.000 $17.784 $34.596 $35.820 Assumptions - The total estimated exempt value is $91.8 billion. - This repeal takes effect beginning w
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