INSIDE SALT
INSIDE SALT
In-Depth Coverage of Issues Surrounding State and Local Tax
INSIDE SALT
In-Depth Coverage of Issues Surrounding State and Local Tax
tax credits
Subscribe to tax credits's Posts

Tax Highlights of Proposed Illinois “Grand Bargain”

by | Mar 14, 2017 | , , , ,

In an effort to resolve Illinois’ 20-month budget impasse, the Illinois Senate leadership (Senate Majority Leader John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Rodogno) have jointly proposed a series of bills to increase revenue, reduce spending, and respond to the Illinois Governor’s concerns regarding pension reforms, workers compensation reform and property tax relief.  A series of twelve bills have been introduced, all of which are interlinked for passage.  The bills are termed the Illinois “Grand Bargain.”  Most of the tax-related changes are found in Senate Bill 9.  The current version of the Senate Bill 9 (Amendment 3) (“Bill”) was submitted on March 3 and includes the following proposed changes: (more…)



read more

New Jersey Issues Guidance on BEIP Grant Conversion

by | Apr 28, 2016 | , , ,

This month the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (the Authority) provided businesses with guidance, in the form of Frequently Asked Questions, on how to elect to have their unpaid Business Employment Incentive Program (the Program or BEIP) grants converted into tax credits pursuant to N.J. Rev. Stat. § 34:1B-129.

Under the Program, New Jersey awarded qualifying businesses cash grants for hiring new employees in the state for a term of up to 10 years.  Since the Program’s inception in 1996, the Authority has executed 499 BEIP agreements valued at nearly $1.6 billion.  However, since 2013, the New Jersey legislature has not funded the Program, and thus many businesses have not received grant payments owed by the state.

In January, Governor Christie signed P.L. 2015, c. 194 into law, permitting the voluntary conversion of outstanding BEIP grants into tax credits. The option to convert a BEIP grant to a tax credit is New Jersey’s attempt to provide relief to those businesses that have been awarded grants but have not received grant payments. The law, unfortunately, was short on details.

Businesses that wish to take advantage of the grant conversion must elect to convert the grant into a tax credit by July 11, 2016. Once the election is made, it is irrevocable.

Because a business cannot predict with any certainty whether the New Jersey legislature will fund the Program in future years, a business has to decide whether to opt to convert its grant. If a business does not elect to convert its grant, it risks losing all of its unpaid BEIP grants. On the other hand, if a business makes the election and the Program is funded in future years, the business will have no choice but to receive tax credits even though a cash payment might be more valuable to the business.

If a business elects to convert its grant commitments to tax credits, the credits will be issued over a period of years as set forth in the statute.   This delayed payment means that the business will suffer an additional loss of money owed by New Jersey on account of the time value of money. The statute provides that the BEIP tax credit must be used in the designated years and may not be carried forward. The credit is a priority credit and should be applied before all other credits. Accordingly, it is important to consider whether the other credits claimed by a business are refundable when deciding whether to make the election and calculating the potential benefit of conversion.

In anticipation of the July 11, 2016, deadline for businesses to opt to convert their grant into a tax credit, the Authority has provided guidance on how to make the election. This guidance, as mentioned above, is informal and not a regulation. The guidance provides that to make the election, a business must submit an executed Amendment to Agreement. The form Amendments to Agreement for different tax types are available on the Authority’s website.  Once a business opts to convert [...]

Continue Reading



read more

Tax on Tax Credits: U.S. Tax Court Addresses Federal Taxation of Refundable State Credits in Maines

by | Jul 27, 2015 | , ,

As more and more states offer refundable tax credits to induce economic development, it is critical for businesses weighing incentive offers to take into consideration the federal income tax implications of an award. While a payment may be called a “credit” and claimed on a state tax return, that payment might nonetheless constitute taxable income for federal tax purposes. Imposition of federal income tax on incentive payments can materially reduce their value and should be considered when weighing the potential benefit of an award. A recent United States Tax Court decision, Maines v. Commissioner, demonstrates that risk.

Read the full article.



read more

Seeing Green: New York’s Reformed Brownfields Cleanup Program Creates Opportunities for Redevelopment to Generate Refundable Tax Credits

by | Jul 21, 2015 | , ,

Now is the time to begin brownfield redevelopment projects in the State of New York. Reauthorization of and reforms to New York’s Brownfields Cleanup Program, which provides tax credits to redevelop contaminated properties, came into effect on July 1, 2015. The program has been reauthorized until 2026, giving businesses and developers a chance to remediate brownfields while generating millions of dollars in refundable credits.

State brownfield tax credit programs encourage remediation of contaminated property that might otherwise remain abandoned. New York, with its industrial heritage, has more than its share of such locations. The Brownfields Cleanup Program was started in 2003 as a way to encourage redevelopment of these properties. Once a participating project is granted a certificate of completion, it generates credits calculated as percentages of the site preparation costs and groundwater remediation costs, and of the costs of tangible property (buildings and capital equipment). The site preparation and groundwater remediation costs are the environmental expenses, which generate credits ranging from 22 to 50 percent of costs. The tangible property costs are the redevelopment (generally non-environmental) expenses, which generate credits ranging from 10 to24 percent of costs. Tangible property credits are capped as a multiplier of site preparation and groundwater remediation costs: three times the costs for most projects and six times the costs for manufacturing projects. All brownfields credits are refundable to the extent that they exceed the taxpayer’s income tax or franchise tax otherwise due. Essentially, under the Brownfields Cleanup Program, New York will pay for up to half of a project’s environmental remediation costs and a quarter of other redevelopment costs.

In recent years, the program came under criticism for allegedly excessive credit awards, which sometimes exceeded the overall costs of remediation. The program had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year, and a short-term extension of the program through March 2017 was vetoed by Governor Cuomo as not providing needed reform. The reforms package and reauthorization were enacted with the FY 2016 budget. L. 2015, ch. 56, pt. BB (S. 2006-B / A3006-B). With proposed regulations for some definitional terms pending, the reformed law came into effect for projects approved by the Department of Environmental Conservation on or after July 1, 2015. Preexisting projects are grandfathered in under the old provisions as long as they are completed by the end of 2019 (and projects approved before June 23, 2008, must be completed by the end of 2017). New projects will have until March 31, 2026, to obtain certificates of completion under the reformed Brownfields Cleanup Program.

Key reforms coming into effect include the following:

  • To address a sense that projects do not need as many incentives in the tight New York City real estate market, projects in the city now have to meet one of three special criteria to qualify for the tangible property component of the credits. This special requirement is for tangible property credits only; site preparation and groundwater remediation credits are unrestricted. The three [...]

    Continue Reading


read more

New York Releases Corporate Tax Reform FAQs

by | Jul 25, 2014 | , , , ,

Earlier this year, New York enacted sweeping corporate tax reform, generally effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2015, including a new economic nexus standard, changes to New York’s combined reporting regime, changes to the tax base and traditional New York income classifications, changes to the receipts factor computation, and changes to the net operating loss calculation and certain tax credits and incentives.  (For a more detailed discussion of these changes, see our Special Report.

While this corporate reform is quite comprehensive, a number of open issues remain so taxpayers and practitioners have been eagerly awaiting additional guidance from the Department of Taxation and Finance.  As a first step in providing that much-needed guidance, the Department has released its first set of responses to frequently asked questions on a new “Corporate Tax Reform FAQs” section of its website.  Most notably, the responses clarify that the non-unitary presumption based on less than 20 percent stock ownership for purposes of determining exempt investment income is a rebuttable presumption.  The responses also clarify that the business capital base includes items of capital that generate exempt income.  Other topics addressed include economic nexus, credits, the Metropolitan Transportation Business Tax (MTA surcharge) and net operating losses.

The Department plans to update the Corporate Tax Reform FAQs on an ongoing basis as it continues to receive questions from taxpayers and practitioners, which can be submitted on the Department’s website.  We will be submitting questions and comments and can do so on behalf of companies that do not want to be identified.  The Department is also in the process of revising its current regulations (which are expected to be released before the end of 2015) and plans to issue two technical memoranda in the interim, one discussing qualified New York manufacturers and one discussing the new expense attribution rules.  Stay tuned for updates regarding this additional guidance.



read more

BLOG EDITORS

Stephen P. Kranz

Mary Kay McCalla Martire

Richard C. Call

STAY CONNECTED

Subscribe

TOPICS

ARCHIVES

jd supra readers choice top firm 2023 badge