HOUSE BILL No. 4362

 

March 1, 2011, Introduced by Rep. Gilbert and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 2007 PA 36, entitled

 

"Michigan business tax act,"

 

by amending sections 107 and 117 (MCL 208.1107 and 208.1117),

 

section 117 as amended by 2009 PA 142, and by adding section 500;

 

and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 107. (1) "Certificated credit" means any of the following

 

credits for which a certificate has been issued to the taxpayer

 

prior to January 1, 2012 but the project has not been completed or

 

for which the taxpayer has entered into an agreement prior to

 

January 1, 2012 but the credit has not been claimed or paid prior

 

to January 1, 2012:

 

     (a) Section 419, 430, 431, 431a, 431b, 431c, 432, 434, 435,

 

437, 450, 455, 457, or 459.

 


     (b) Section 433 but only for those renaissance zones

 

designated pursuant to section 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f, 8g, or 8h of the

 

Michigan renaissance zone act, 1996 PA 376, MCL 125.2688c,

 

125.2688d, 125.2688e, 125.2688f, 125.2688g, and 125.2688h.

 

     (c) Section 36109 of the natural resources and environmental

 

protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.36109.

 

     (2) (1) "Client" means an entity whose employment operations

 

are managed by a professional employer organization.

 

     (3) (2) "Compensation" means all wages, salaries, fees,

 

bonuses, commissions, other payments made in the tax year on behalf

 

of or for the benefit of employees, officers, or directors of the

 

taxpayers, and any earnings that are net earnings from self-

 

employment as defined under section 1402 of the internal revenue

 

code of the taxpayer or a partner or limited liability company

 

member of the taxpayer. Compensation includes, but is not limited

 

to, payments that are subject to or specifically exempt or excepted

 

from withholding under sections 3401 to 3406 of the internal

 

revenue code. Compensation also includes, on a cash or accrual

 

basis consistent with the taxpayer's method of accounting for

 

federal income tax purposes, payments to a pension, retirement, or

 

profit sharing plan other than those payments attributable to

 

unfunded accrued actuarial liabilities, and payments for insurance

 

for which employees are the beneficiaries, including payments under

 

health and welfare and noninsured benefit plans and payment of fees

 

for the administration of health and welfare and noninsured benefit

 

plans. Compensation for a taxpayer licensed under article 25 or 26

 

of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2501 to 339.2518 and

 


339.2601 to 339.2637, includes payments to an independent

 

contractor licensed under article 25 or 26 of the occupational

 

code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2501 to 339.2518 and 339.2601 to

 

339.2637. Compensation does not include any of the following:

 

     (a) Discounts on the price of the taxpayer's merchandise or

 

services sold to the taxpayer's employees, officers, or directors

 

that are not available to other customers.

 

     (b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, payments

 

to an independent contractor.

 

     (c) Payments to state and federal unemployment compensation

 

funds.

 

     (d) The employer's portion of payments under the federal

 

insurance contributions act, chapter 21 of subtitle C of the

 

internal revenue code, 26 USC 3101 to 3128, the railroad retirement

 

tax act, chapter 22 of subtitle C of the internal revenue code, 26

 

USC 3201 to 3233, and similar social insurance programs.

 

     (e) Payments, including self-insurance payments, for worker's

 

compensation insurance or federal employers' liability act

 

insurance pursuant to 45 USC 51 to 60.

 

     (4) (3) "Corporation" means a taxpayer that is required or has

 

elected to file as a corporation under the internal revenue code.

 

     (5) (4) "Department" means the department of treasury.

 

     Sec. 117. (1) "Tangible personal property" means that term as

 

defined in section 2 of the use tax act, 1937 PA 94, MCL 205.92.

 

     (2) "Tax" means the tax imposed under this act, including

 

interest and penalties under this act, unless the term is given a

 

more limited meaning in the context of this act or a provision of

 


this act.

 

     (3) "Tax-exempt person" means an organization that is exempt

 

from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the internal

 

revenue code, and a partnership, limited liability company, joint

 

venture, unincorporated association, or other group or combination

 

of organizations acting as a unit if all such organizations are

 

exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the internal

 

revenue code and if all activities of the unit are exclusively

 

related to the charitable, educational, or other purposes or

 

functions that are the basis for the exemption of such

 

organizations from federal income tax, except the following:

 

     (a) An organization exempt under section 501(c)(12) or (16) of

 

the internal revenue code.

 

     (b) An organization exempt under section 501(c)(4) of the

 

internal revenue code that would be exempt under section 501(c)(12)

 

of the internal revenue code but for its failure to meet the

 

requirement in section 501(c)(12) that 85% or more of its income

 

must consist of amounts collected from members.

 

     (4) "Tax year" means the calendar year, or the fiscal year

 

ending during the calendar year, upon the basis of which the tax

 

base of a taxpayer is computed under this act. If a return is made

 

for a fractional part of a year, tax year means the period for

 

which the return is made. Except for the first return required by

 

this act, a taxpayer's tax year is for the same period as is

 

covered by its federal income tax return. A taxpayer that has a 52-

 

or 53-week tax year beginning not more than 7 days before December

 

31 of any year is considered to have a tax year beginning after

 


December of that tax year. If the term tax year in this act is used

 

in reference to 1 or more previous or preceding tax years and those

 

referenced tax years are before January 1, 2008, then those

 

referenced tax years are deemed those same tax years during which

 

former 1975 PA 228 was in effect.

 

     (5) "Taxpayer" means, through December 31, 2011, a person or a

 

unitary business group liable for a tax, interest, or penalty under

 

this act. Beginning January 1, 2012, taxpayer means either of the

 

following:

 

     (a) A person or unitary business group that has a certificated

 

credit but is not subject to the tax imposed under part 2 of the

 

income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.601 to 206.697, and

 

that elects during the first tax year after the effective date of

 

the amendatory act that added section 500 to file a return and pay

 

the tax imposed under this act.

 

     (b) A person or unitary business group that has a certificated

 

credit and that elected under section 680 of the income tax act of

 

1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.680, to file a return and pay the tax

 

imposed under this act.

 

     (6) "Unitary business group" means a group of United States

 

persons, other than a foreign operating entity, 1 of which owns or

 

controls, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the ownership

 

interest with voting rights or ownership interests that confer

 

comparable rights to voting rights of the other United States

 

persons, and that has business activities or operations which

 

result in a flow of value between or among persons included in the

 

unitary business group or has business activities or operations

 


that are integrated with, are dependent upon, or contribute to each

 

other. For purposes of this subsection, flow of value is determined

 

by reviewing the totality of facts and circumstances of business

 

activities and operations.

 

     (7) "United States person" means that term as defined in

 

section 7701(a)(30) of the internal revenue code.

 

     (8) "Unrelated business activity" means, for a tax-exempt

 

person, business activity directly connected with an unrelated

 

trade or business as defined in section 513 of the internal revenue

 

code.

 

     Sec. 500. (1) A taxpayer described under section 117(5)(a)

 

that voluntarily elects during the taxpayer's first tax year after

 

the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section to

 

file a return and pay the tax imposed by this act in order to claim

 

a certificated credit shall continue to file a return and pay the

 

tax imposed under this act for each tax year thereafter until that

 

certificated credit and any carryforward from that credit is all

 

used up.

 

     (2) For tax years that begin after December 31, 2011, a

 

taxpayer's tax liability under this act shall be the greater of the

 

following:

 

     (a) The amount of the taxpayer's tax liability under this act.

 

     (b) An amount equal to the difference between the amount of

 

the taxpayer's tax liability under part 2 of the income tax act of

 

1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.601 to 206.697, if the taxpayer was

 

subject to the tax imposed under part 2 of the income tax act of

 

1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.601 to 206.697, and the total amount of

 


certificated credits that the taxpayer was allowed to claim during

 

the tax year under this act.

 

     Enacting section 1. The Michigan business tax act, 2007 PA 36,

 

MCL 208.1101 to 208.1601, is repealed effective on the date that

 

the secretary of state receives a written notice from the

 

department of treasury that the last certificated credit or any

 

carryforward from that certificated credit has been claimed.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 4361(request no.

 

01879'11) of the 96th Legislature is enacted into law.