(1) This chapter does not apply to wholesale sales of commercial fertilizer, agricultural crop protection products, and seed, by an eligible distributor to an eligible retailer.

(2) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Affiliated persons" means persons who have any ownership interest, whether direct or indirect, in each other, or where any ownership interest, whether direct or indirect, is held in each of the persons by another person or by a group of other persons that are affiliated with respect to each other.

(b) "Agricultural crop protection products" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.21.040.

(c) "Commercial fertilizer" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 15.54.270.

(d) "Seed" means seed potatoes and all other "agricultural seed" as defined in RCW 15.49.011 and conditioned for use in planting.

(e) "Eligible distributor" means a wholesaler who purchases commercial fertilizer, agricultural crop protection products, and seed from the manufacturer and resells those products only to eligible retailers who are not affiliated persons and who have an ownership interest in an entity that has at least a fifty percent ownership interest in the wholesaler.

(f) "Eligible retailer" means a person engaged in the business of making retail sales of commercial fertilizer, agricultural crop protection products, and seed, that also holds at least a five percent ownership interest in an entity that holds at least a fifty percent ownership interest in an eligible distributor.

(3) This section is exempt from the provisions of RCW 82.32.805 and 82.32.808.

Tax preference performance statement—2017 3rd sp.s. c 37 s 302: "(1) This section is the tax preference performance statement for the tax preferences contained in section 302, chapter 37, Laws of 2017 3rd sp. sess. This performance statement is only intended to be used for subsequent evaluation of the tax preferences. It is not intended to create a private right of action by any party or be used to determine eligibility for preferential tax treatment.

(2) The legislature categorizes these tax preferences as ones intended to reduce structural inefficiencies, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2)(d).

(3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to provide tax relief to certain distributors of commercial fertilizer, agricultural crop protection products, and seeds. If a review finds that the number of wholesalers of agricultural crop protection products, seed, and fertilizer qualifying for the exemption has increased or stayed the same, then the legislature intends to extend the expiration date of the tax preferences.

(4) In order to obtain the data necessary to perform the review in subsection (3) of this section, the joint legislative audit and review committee may refer to the department of revenue's data." [ 2017 3rd sp.s. c 37 s 301.]

Effective date—2017 3rd sp.s. c 37 ss 301, 302, and 1001-1003: "Parts III and X of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect July 1, 2017." [ 2017 3rd sp.s. c 37 s 1402.]