While many businesses began examining their operations and looking for efficiencies months ago, there may be more value to gain in an unlikely place — the state tax system.

It’s an easier search than you may think. Go to www.dor.wa.gov, and click business incentives on the landing page.

What you will find are nearly 50 tax incentives for various business activities. What you won’t find initially but also worth digging to find are preferential Business & Occupation tax rates. If you have changed your business, or expanded into new activities, it’s worth checking out those as well. You could be paying a higher tax rate that was based on your original business activity, or missed changes in tax law that lowered your rate.

The tax benefits that follow are not all-inclusive. Rather they represent some of the more commonly utilized incentives.

Employee Training/Retraining: A credit against the B&O tax of 50 percent of the cost of employee training by utilizing the employment raining finance account of the Customized Employment Training Program. The program, and the credits, are available for retraining and upgrade training of existing workers as well new hires. All Washington businesses are eligible.

Commute Trip Reduction: A B&O tax credit of 50 percent of the amount paid to or on behalf of each employee, up to $60 per employee.

General Manufacturing: There is no sales tax owed for purchases of machinery and equipment used directly for manufacturing, research and development or testing operations.

Food Processing: No Business & Occupation Tax is owed by processor of fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy and seafood products when the goods are transported out of state by a customer. There also is no sales tax on construction of cold storage and certain food manufacturing/processing facilities and equipment.

Aerospace Parts and Production: There are substantive benefits for manufacturers or processors for hire of component parts of commercial airplanes. They include B&O credits for preproduction expenses, credits for property and leasehold taxes paid on facilities; exemption of sales tax on computer hardware and software; and significantly reduced B&O tax rate.

High Tech/Bio Tech/Medical Devices: B&O tax credits are available for business conducting R&D in advanced computing, advanced materials, biotech, electronic device technology and environmental technology. There also is no sales tax owed on equipment purchased for these activities.

Biofuel Manufacturing; Retail Sales: B&O and property tax exemptions for manufacturers; B&O deduction for income received from retail sales and distribution of biofuels; no sales taxes owed on machinery used to produce biofuels, delivery vehicles, or construction of facilities for retail sales.

Timber and Wood Products: A reduced B&O tax rate is available for business the manufacture timber into wood products; for businesses selling wood products at wholesale; and on the sales of standing timber apart from the land.

Renewable Energy Equipment: A B&O tax rate reduction for manufacturers, processors for hire, or wholesalers of solar energy systems using photovoltaic modules or silicon components of these systems. Purchase, installation and repair of solar hot water heaters are exempt from sales tax.

Although this is only a short list of available benefits, you will find from further research that some of the credits and exemptions are quite meaningful.