BEFORE THE WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

In the Matter of Approving the   ) DOCKET UT-980183
Telecommunications Relay Service  )
Excise Tax.     ) ORDER DETERMINING
..................................................................... ) THE TRS 
EXCISE TAX 
 
  The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission is required by 
RCW 43.20A.725 to determine on an annual basis the amount of the 
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) excise tax to be applied to each access 
line and shall inform each local exchange company of this amount no later than 
May 15 of each year.  The level of the excise tax to be applied is to be based 
on the information and recommendation provided by the Office of the Deaf and 
Hard of Hearing Services within the state Department of Social and Health 
Services (DSHS).  The budget must be reviewed and approved by the DSHS Budget 
Division and further approved and the recommendation concurred with by the 
Office of Financial Management (OFM).  
 
  RCW 48.20A.725 calls for DSHS to submit its budget to the Utilities and 
Transportation Commission (Commission) after OFM approval, who shall then 
determine the amount of the TRS excise tax by March 1 of each year.  The excise 
tax shall be determined by the program budget, as submitted by DSHS, and the 
total number of switched telephone access lines.  The TRS excise tax must not 
exceed nineteen cents ($0.19) per month per access line as established through 
legislation.  The TRS program budget information was provided by the DSHS 
Budget Division to the Commission on February 11, 1998, and approved by the 
Office of Financial Management and submitted the to the Commission on February 
17, 1998.  Based on the information, the Commission determined at its open 
meeting on February 25, 1998, that the amount of the TRS excise tax should 
remain at the existing fifteen cents ($0.15) per switched access line per 
month.  The rate is to remain effective by the individual local exchange 
companies’ billing systems.

ORDER

  WHEREFOR, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED That each local exchange telephone company 
shall collect the Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf excise tax in the 
amount of fifteen cents ($0.15) per switched access line per month; and 
pursuant to 
RCW 43.20A.725, shall remit the amount collected directly to the Department of 
Social and Health Services on a monthly basis, and shall separately identify 
the excise tax on each ratepayer’s bill.

  DATED at Olympia, Washington, and effective this       th day of February, 
1998.
  


        PAUL CURL
        Acting Secretary