Department of Revenue to Help Retailers Shift to New Sales Tax Collection Rules
If you’re a Washington retailer and you deliver or ship products to customers within the state, you’ll need to change how you collect sales tax starting July 1, 2008. Under current law, retail sales tax collection focuses on the location of the shipping or delivery of merchandise. Under the new law, Washington retailers delivering or shipping goods to customers within the state must start collecting sales tax based on the location where the customer receives the merchandise—the “destination” of the sale. This change is based on the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement, a national agreement that standardizes the way each state taxes goods so it’s easier for online and mail-order retailers to collect sales tax. This change does not affect deliveries or shipments outside the state; the rate charged on deliveries and shipments within a taxing jurisdiction, such as deliveries within the same city or county; or sales when customers take possession at the selling location. Washington’s Department of Revenue will be helping retailers prepare for this shift, and is mailing information to retailers, holding business advisory groups, and posting details on its Web site. Workshops, tutorials, and other assistance will follow. For more information, visit http://dor.wa.gov.

$500,000 in Appropriations Bill to go to Washington Workforce Association Scholarship Program
A critical program that helps build a highly skilled workforce in Washington will get $500,000 if an appropriations bill passes Congress. The funding will help expand the Washington Workforce Association’s “In Demand Scholars” program. The funding was included in the labor, health, human services and education appropriations bill by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who is a senior member of the Labor, Health, Human Services and Education Subcommittee. The In Demand Scholars program began in 2004 with the support of AWB and other organizations. The program prepares students to enter local, high-demand occupations through outreach to local employers, job shadowing, internships, and scholarships for post-secondary training. In Demand Scholars focuses on those students who may not otherwise attempt to achieve a four-year college degree.

AWB’s Mike Hudson Elected to National Work Readiness Council Board
The National Work Readiness Council has elected Mike Hudson, executive director of the Institute for Workforce Development and Economic Sustainability, to their board of directors. The council oversees the National Work Readiness Credential—the first national, standards-based online assessment for entry-level workers to provide a universal, transferable, national standard for work readiness. The board elected Hudson because of his affiliation with AWB and experience on Washington’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. His experience uniquely positions him to speak about what employers need and want in employees. AWB has supported the NWRC by being their primary fiscal sponsor for nearly a year as they apply for non-profit status. For more information about the NWRC, visit www.workreadiness.com/nwrcred.html.