Washington state budget requires Microsoft pay $128M in new taxes over next 4 years

But I thought the Repukes said no taxes were raised?

Tech companies have been called out in recent years for not paying as much in taxes as other businesses, thanks to various tax credits, exemptions and offshore cash stores.

Now, though, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) will pay a little more in the state of Washington.

The company will pay $57 million over the next two years, and $128 million over the next five, after lawmakers included language in this week's budget that repealed tax exemptions specifically for Microsoft, according to a report in the Seattle Times.

Those same sales tax exemptions will continue to apply to other software equipment and machinery companies.

The deal was quietly written into a budget pact in the final days of the special session, according to the Times. Microsoft appears to have not only gone along with the tax increase, but also waived its right to taxpayer anonymity.

Of course, $128 million over four years is not significant for a company that reported $22 billion in revenue in the first three months of this year.

State Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, who led the House budget negotiations, told the Times that Microsoft did not object to the additional taxes.


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