SEATTLE — Starting in the New Year, the price of some precious metals, and coins like gold and silver, could go way up in Washington state.
An exemption on a precious metals tax, in effect for 40 years, will be lifted Jan. 1. Some Western Washington businesses claim it could force some dealers out of state.
“I am right now looking to move to Idaho and move my entire business there,” Washington Gold Exchange Owner Craig Rhyne stated.
This impacts buyers and sellers of precious metal coins and bullion. That is smelted or refined gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium, among other metals.
In the New Year, the sales will no longer be exempt from a 10.3% tax, plus the Business and Occupation Tax.
Rhyne told KOMO News he’s confident that will drive customers to Oregon or Idaho.
“Think about it. If a dealer charges $4,500 for a one-ounce gold coin and the state wants $450 more for sales tax, do you think a Washington resident would be so stupid as to buy locally? No! He’ll go out of state,” Rhyne explained.
Lawmakers projected this change could generate up to $34 million in revenue every two years, but Carolyn Beko with Redmond Rare Coins anticipates coin shows and events will vanish, ultimately reducing revenue for the state. Additionally, potentially losing customers would be devastating to her business, already operating on razor-thin margins.
“I have to wait for my precious metals to go up at least 11 or 12 percent to break even, just to break even, and that’s unfair,” Beko stated. “It’s completely regressive.”
Beko said she plans to keep the storefront because they committed to a long lease, but they now aim to sell mainly to wholesalers with a reseller permit as a way to avoid the sales tax.
Redmond Rare Coins is part of the newly formed Washington Coin and Bullion Association, urging people to email their state lawmakers to repeal taxes on precious metals and coins.
