An Act Concerning Technical Changes to the Tax Laws
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA §1100-Z, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. Q, §1 and affected by §7, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 10 MRSA §1100-Z, sub-§3, ¶G, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. Q, §1 and affected by §7, is amended to read:
Sec. 3. 10 MRSA §1100-Z, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. Q, §1 and affected by §7, is amended to read:
Sec. 4. 10 MRSA §1100-Z, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. Q, §1 and affected by §7, is amended to read:
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §12542, sub-§2-A, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 553, Pt. A, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 6. 22 MRSA §1714-C, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 213, Pt. CC, §2, is amended to read:
§ 1714-C. Critical access hospital staff enhancement reimbursement
Beginning April 1, 2011, the department shall reimburse critical access hospitals from the total allocated from hospital tax revenues under Title 36, chapter 375 377 at least $1,000,000 in state and federal funds to be distributed annually among critical access hospitals for staff enhancement payments.
Sec. 7. 32 MRSA §14706, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 324, §12, is amended to read:
Sec. 8. 36 MRSA §112, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2011, c. 211, §17, is further amended to read:
Sec. 9. 36 MRSA §191, sub-§2, ¶SS, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. Q, §4 and affected by §7, is amended to read:
Sec. 10. 36 MRSA §191, sub-§2, ¶TT, as reallocated by RR 2011, c. 1, §50, is amended to read:
Sec. 11. 36 MRSA §844, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1995, c. 262, §7, is further amended to read:
Sec. 12. 36 MRSA §1752, sub-§1-H, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. WWWW, §1, is repealed.
Sec. 13. 36 MRSA §1760, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2009, c. 625, §6, is further amended to read:
Sec. 14. 36 MRSA §1760, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2009, c. 434, §25, is further amended to read:
Sec. 15. 36 MRSA §1764, as amended by PL 2007, c. 375, §2, is further amended to read:
§ 1764. Tax against certain casual sales
The tax imposed by chapters 211 to 225 this Part must be levied upon all casual rentals of living quarters in a hotel, rooming house or , tourist camp or trailer camp and upon all casual sales involving the sale of trailers, truck campers, motor vehicles, special mobile equipment except farm tractors and lumber harvesting vehicles or loaders, watercraft or aircraft except those unless the property is sold for resale at retail sale or to a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or limited liability partnership when the seller is the owner of a majority of the common stock of the corporation or of the ownership interests in the partnership, limited liability company or limited liability partnership. This section does not apply to the rental of living quarters rented for a total of fewer than 15 days in the calendar year, except that a person who owns and offers for rental more than one property in the State during the calendar year is liable for collecting sales tax with respect to the rental of each unit regardless of the number of days for which it is rented. For purposes of this section, "special mobile equipment" does not include farm tractors and lumber harvesting vehicles or loaders.
Sec. 16. 36 MRSA §2519, as amended by PL 2011, c. 331, §13 and affected by §§16 and 17, is further amended to read:
§ 2519. Ratio of tax on foreign insurance companies
Any An insurance company incorporated by a state of the United States or province of Canada whose laws impose upon insurance companies chartered by this State any a greater tax than is herein provided in this chapter shall pay the same tax upon business done by it in this State, in place of the tax provided in any other section of this Title chapter. If it is not paid the insurance company fails to pay the tax as provided in section 2521-A, the assessor shall certify that failure to the Superintendent of Insurance , who shall suspend the insurance company's right of said company to do business in this State. Any For purposes of this section, an insurance company incorporated by another country is regarded for the purpose of this section as though deemed to be incorporated by the state where it has elected to make its deposit and establish its principal agency in the United States. For nonadmitted insurance premiums subject to section 2531, the rate applied pursuant to this section must be the highest rate that the state or province applies to nonadmitted insurance premiums taxed in that state or province.
Sec. 17. 36 MRSA §2531, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 331, §14 and affected by §§16 and 17; enacted by c. 380, Pt. Q, §5 and affected by §7; and enacted by c. 453, §4, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
§ 2531. Taxation of nonadmitted insurance coverage
Sec. 18. 36 MRSA §2533 is enacted to read:
§ 2533. New markets capital investment credit
A person that is subject to tax under this chapter, or would be subject to tax under this chapter if it did business or collected premiums or assessments in this State, that holds a qualified equity investment certified by the Finance Authority of Maine pursuant to Title 10, section 1100-Z, subsection 3, paragraph G is allowed a credit equal to the amount determined in accordance with section 5219-HH against the tax otherwise due under this chapter. Section 5219-HH governs the allowance of the credit and limitations on the amount, refundability, carry-over and recapture of the credit.
Sec. 19. 36 MRSA §2534 is enacted to read:
§ 2534. Credit for rehabilitation of historic properties
A taxpayer is allowed a credit against the tax otherwise due under this chapter as determined under section 5219-BB.
Sec. 20. 36 MRSA §4603, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1995, c. 502, Pt. C, §14, is further amended to read:
Sec. 21. 36 MRSA §4603, sub-§11, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 753, §§14 and 15, is repealed.
Sec. 22. 36 MRSA §5122, sub-§2, ¶II, as corrected by RR 2011, c. 1, §56, is amended to read:
Upon the taxable disposition of property to which this paragraph applies, the amount of any gain or loss includable in federal adjusted gross income must be adjusted for Maine income tax purposes by an amount equal to the difference between the addition modification for such property under subsection 1, paragraph FF, subparagraph (2) related to property placed in service outside the State and the subtraction modifications allowed pursuant to this paragraph.
The total amount of the subtraction modification claimed for property placed in service outside the State under this paragraph for all tax years may not exceed the addition modification under subsection 1, paragraph FF, subparagraph (2) for the same property; and
Sec. 23. 36 MRSA §5142, sub-§8-B, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. CCCC, §2 and affected by §4, is amended to read:
(1) Personal services performed in connection with presenting or receiving employment-related training or education;
(2) Personal services performed in connection with a site inspection, review, analysis of management or any other supervision of a facility, affiliate or subsidiary based in the State by a representative from a company, not headquartered in the State, that owns that facility or is the parent company of the affiliate or subsidiary;
(3) Personal services performed in connection with research and development at a facility based in the State or in connection with the installation of new or upgraded equipment or systems at that facility; or
(4) Personal services performed as part of a project team working on the attraction or implementation of new investment in a facility based in the State.
Sec. 24. 36 MRSA §5164, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. CCC, §12, is further amended to read:
Sec. 25. 36 MRSA §5191, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1979, c. 541, Pt. A, §233, is further amended to read:
Sec. 26. 36 MRSA §5200-A, sub-§2, ¶V, as corrected by RR 2011, c. 1, §57, is amended to read:
Upon the taxable disposition of property to which this paragraph applies, the amount of any gain or loss includable in federal adjusted gross taxable income must be adjusted for Maine income tax purposes by an amount equal to the difference between the addition modification for such property under subsection 1, paragraph Y, subparagraph (2) related to property placed in service outside the State and the subtraction modifications allowed pursuant to this paragraph.
The total amount of the subtraction modification claimed for property placed in service outside the State under this paragraph for all tax years may not exceed the addition modification under subsection 1, paragraph Y, subparagraph (2) for the same property; and
Sec. 27. 36 MRSA §5204, as amended by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. N, §15 and affected by §19, is further amended to read:
§ 5204. Lump-sum retirement plan distributions
In addition to any other tax imposed by this Part, a tax is hereby imposed for each taxable year on every taxpayer who , in accordance with the Code, Section 402(e)(1), elects to compute a separate federal tax on a lump-sum distribution from a retirement plan at the rate of 15% of the separate federal tax imposed on the distribution, except that, for tax years beginning in 2012, the rate is 7.5%. The tax under this section does not apply to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2013.
Sec. 28. 36 MRSA §5216-D, sub-§§3 and 4, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. HHHH, §3, are amended to read:
Sec. 29. 36 MRSA §5219-BB, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2011, c. 453, §9, is further amended to read:
Sec. 30. 36 MRSA §5219-GG, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. O, §17 and affected by §18 and enacted by Pt. Q, §6 and affected by §7, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
§ 5219-GG. Maine capital investment credit
Sec. 31. 36 MRSA §5219-HH is enacted to read:
§ 5219-HH. New markets capital investment credit
(1) Has at least 85% of its cash purchase price used by the issuer to make qualified low-income community investments in qualified active low-income community businesses located in the State by the 2nd anniversary of the initial credit allowance date;
(2) Is acquired after December 31, 2011 at its original issuance solely in exchange for cash; and
(3) Is designated by the issuer as a qualified equity investment and is certified by the authority pursuant to Title 10, section 1100-Z, subsection 3, paragraph G. "Qualified equity investment" includes any qualified equity investment that does not meet the provisions of Title 10, section 1100-Z, subsection 3, paragraph G if the investment was a qualified equity investment in the hands of a prior holder. The qualified community development entity shall keep sufficiently detailed books and records with respect to the investments made with the proceeds of the qualified equity investments to allow the direct tracing of the proceeds into qualified low-income community investments in qualified active low-income community businesses in the State.
The qualified community development entity must be provided 90 days to cure any deficiency indicated in the authority's original recapture notice and avoid such recapture. If the entity fails or is unable to cure the deficiency within the 90-day period, the assessor shall provide the qualified community development entity and the person from whom the credit is to be recaptured with a final order of recapture. Any amount of tax credits for which a final recapture order has been issued must be recaptured from the person that actually claimed the tax credit.
Sec. 32. 38 MRSA §2138, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 585, Pt. A, §7, is repealed.
Sec. 33. Application. Those sections of this Act that enact the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, section 2533 and section 5219-HH apply to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012. That section of this Act that amends the Title 36, section 5164, subsection 1 applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.
Sec. 34. Retroactivity. That section of this Act that repeals and replaces the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, section 2531 applies retroactively to taxes on all premiums received on or after July 1, 2011. That section of this Act that enacts Title 36, section 2534 applies retroactively to September 28, 2011. That section of this Act that amends Title 36, section 5216-D, subsections 3 and 4 applies retroactively to June 20, 2011. Those sections of this Act that amend Title 36, section 5122, subsection 2, paragraph II; section 5142, subsection 8-B, paragraph C; and section 5200-A, subsection 2, paragraph V apply retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011. That section of this Act that repeals and replaces Title 36, section 5219-GG applies retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.
SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing taxation.
It makes technical changes to correct cross-references, correct clerical errors, resolve statutory numbering conflicts, improve syntax and repeal unnecessary language.
It corrects references to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services.
It clarifies the computation of a benchmark loan payment for purposes of the educational opportunity tax credit, consistent with the way the credit is currently administered.
It clarifies that an insurance company that does not do business in Maine and is not subject to the Maine insurance premiums tax is eligible for the new markets capital investment credit.
It clarifies the computation of the Maine fishery infrastructure investment tax credit.
It adds administration of reports and payments by initiators of deposit under the beverage container laws to the list of duties assigned to the State Tax Assessor.
It clarifies that only the applicant may appeal to the State Board of Property Tax Review the decision of the assessors or municipal officers with respect to a request for abatement of property taxes on nonresidential property with a valuation of $1,000,000 or greater.
It corrects the computation of the subtraction modification relating to bonus depreciation for property not used as the basis for the Maine capital investment credit.
It clarifies that the minimum taxability thresholds for nonresidents apply to the taxable year of the taxpayer rather than the calendar year.
It amends the definition of "fiduciary adjustment" to reflect the repeal of the requirement to reduce itemized deductions by the amount of any federal deduction for mortgage insurance premiums.
It clarifies the recapture provisions of the Maine capital investment credit.