WSLCB - 2025-26 - Agency Request Legislation - Taxpayer Confidentiality

The first proposal relates to Taxpayer Confidentiality proposed as a new section for RCW 66.08: The LCB values taxpayer confidentiality and spends a considerable amount of time assessing protected information and what requires protection versus public disclosure. The ambiguity is due to lack of clarity in state law. In reviewing state law, statutes for protecting taxpayer information related to Department of Revenue (DOR) tax audits provide the desired framework for taxpayer confidentiality, however alcohol and cannabis tax laws do not have the same exemptions. Financial and personal information with LCB financial audits must be protected to ensure privacy and to uphold a licensee/taxpayer’s right to have secure information that may result in unfair competitive disadvantage to them.  This level of privacy is what taxpayers are granted in statutes governing DOR.  This legislative proposal provides disclosure of LCB financial audits shall be restricted to the licensee/taxpayer and inaccessible for public records requests. Aggregate data of overall industry activity, sales, and taxes would continue to be open public records. This proposal is all new language for Title 66 RCW, and does not modify any current language.

from the announcement (August 22, 2024)