(See G.S. 105-129.82(a) for repeal of Article.)

(a) Sunset. - This Article is repealed effective for business activities that occur on or after January 1, 2014.

(b) Equity Study. - The Department of Commerce shall study the effect of the tax incentives provided in this Article on tax equity. This study shall include the following:

(1) Reexamining the formula in G.S. 143B-437.08 used to define development tiers, to include consideration of alternative measures for more equitable treatment of counties in similar economic circumstances.

(2) Considering whether the assignment of tiers and the applicable thresholds are equitable for smaller counties.

(3) Compiling any available data on whether expanding North Carolina businesses receive fewer benefits than out-of-State businesses that locate to North Carolina.

(c) Impact Study. - The Department of Commerce shall study the effectiveness of the tax incentives provided in this Article. This study shall include:

(1) Studying the distribution of tax incentives across new and expanding businesses and industries.

(2) Examining data on economic recruitment for the period from 2005 through the most recent year for which data are available by county, by industry type, by size of investment, and by number of jobs, and other relevant information to determine the pattern of business locations and expansions before and after the enactment of this Article.

(3) Measuring the direct costs and benefits of the tax incentives.

(4) Compiling available information on the current use of incentives by other states and whether that use is increasing or declining.

(d) Report. - The Department of Commerce shall report the results of these studies and its recommendations to the General Assembly biennially with the first report due by June 1, 2009. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2010-147, s. 1.1; 2012-36, s. 5.)

§ 105-129.83. Eligibility; forfeiture.

(a) Eligible Business. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this Article only with respect to activities occurring at an establishment whose primary activity is listed in this subsection. The primary activity of an establishment is determined based on the establishment's principal product or group of products produced or distributed, or services rendered.

(1) Air courier services hub.

(2) Aircraft maintenance and repair.

(3) Company headquarters, but only if the additional eligibility requirements of subsection (b) of this section are satisfied.

(4) Customer service call centers.

(5) Electronic shopping and mail order houses.

(6) Information technology and services.

(7) Manufacturing.

(8) Motorsports facility.

(9) Motorsports racing team.

(10) Research and development.

(11) Warehousing.

(12) Wholesale trade.

(b) Company Headquarters Eligibility. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this Article with respect to a company headquarters only if the taxpayer creates at least 75 new jobs at the company headquarters within a 24-month period. A taxpayer that meets this job creation requirement is eligible for credits under this Article with respect to the company headquarters for three taxable years beginning with the year in which the job creation requirement is satisfied. A taxpayer that creates an additional 75 new jobs at the company headquarters in a 24-month period during a three-year eligibility period does not qualify for any extended eligibility period. However, a taxpayer that creates an additional 75 new jobs at the company headquarters in a 24-month period after the completion of a three-year eligibility period is eligible for credits with respect to the company headquarters for an additional three taxable years beginning in the year in which the additional job creation requirement is satisfied.

(c) Wage Standard. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this Article in a development tier two or three area only if the taxpayer satisfies a wage standard. The taxpayer is not required to satisfy a wage standard if the activity occurs in a development tier one area. Jobs that are located within an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone but not in a development tier one area satisfy the wage standard if they pay an average weekly wage that is at least equal to ninety percent (90%) of the lesser of the average wage for all insured private employers in the State and the average wage for all insured private employers in the county. All other jobs satisfy the wage standard if they pay an average weekly wage that is at least equal to the lesser of one hundred ten percent (110%) of the average wage for all insured private employers in the State and ninety percent (90%) of the average wage for all insured private employers in the county. The Department of Commerce shall annually publish the wage standard for each county.

In making the wage calculation, the taxpayer shall include any jobs that were filled for at least 1,600 hours during the calendar year the taxpayer engages in the activity that qualifies for the credit even if those jobs are not filled at the time the taxpayer claims the credit. For a taxpayer with a taxable year other than a calendar year, the taxpayer shall use the wage standard for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins. Only full-time jobs are included when making the wage calculation.

(d) Health Insurance. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this Article only if the taxpayer provides health insurance for all of the full-time jobs at the establishment with respect to which the credit is claimed when the taxpayer engages in the activity that qualifies for the credit. For the purposes of this subsection, a taxpayer provides health insurance if it pays at least fifty percent (50%) of the premiums for health care coverage that equals or exceeds the minimum provisions of the basic health care plan of coverage recommended by the Small Employer Carrier Committee pursuant to G.S. 58-50-125.

Each year that a taxpayer claims a credit or carryforward of a credit allowed under this Article, the taxpayer shall provide with the tax return the taxpayer's certification that the taxpayer continues to provide health insurance for all the jobs at the establishment with respect to which the credit was claimed. If the taxpayer ceases to provide health insurance for the jobs during a taxable year, the credit expires, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installment or carryforward of the credit.

(f) Safety and Health Programs. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit allowed under this Article only if the taxpayer certifies that, as of the time the taxpayer claims the credit, at the establishment with respect to which the credit is claimed, the taxpayer has no citations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act that have become a final order within the past three years for willful serious violations or for failing to abate serious violations. For the purposes of this subsection, "serious violation" has the same meaning as in G.S. 95-127. The Commissioner of Labor shall notify the Department of Revenue annually of all employers who have had these citations become final orders within the past three years.

(g) Overdue Tax Debts. - A taxpayer is not eligible for a credit allowed under this Article if, at the time the taxpayer claims the credit or an installment or carryforward of the credit, the taxpayer has received a notice of an overdue tax debt and that overdue tax debt has not been satisfied or otherwise resolved.

(h) Expiration. - If, during the period that installments of a credit under this Article accrue, the taxpayer is no longer engaged in one of the types of business described in subsection (a) of this section at the establishment for which the credit was claimed, the credit expires. If, during the period that installments of a credit under this Article accrue, the number of jobs of an eligible company headquarters falls below the minimum number required under subsection (b) of this section, any credit associated with that company headquarters expires. When a credit expires, the taxpayer may not take any remaining installments of the credit. The taxpayer may, however, take the portion of an installment that accrued in a previous year and was carried forward to the extent permitted under G.S. 105-129.84. A change in the development tier designation of the location of an establishment does not result in expiration of a credit under this Article.

(i) Forfeiture. - A taxpayer forfeits a credit allowed under this Article if the taxpayer was not eligible for the credit for the calendar year in which the taxpayer engaged in the activity for which the credit was claimed. A taxpayer forfeits a credit previously allowed under this Article if a final determination unfavorable to the taxpayer with respect to an environmental disqualifying event is made that is applicable to the year in which the activity occurred for which the credit was claimed. In addition, a taxpayer forfeits a credit for investment in real property under G.S. 105-129.89 if the taxpayer fails to timely create the number of required new jobs or to timely make the required level of investment under G.S. 105-129.89(b). A taxpayer that forfeits a credit under this Article is liable for all past taxes avoided as a result of the credit plus interest at the rate established under G.S. 105-241.21, computed from the date the taxes would have been due if the credit had not been allowed. The past taxes and interest are due 30 days after the date the credit is forfeited; a taxpayer that fails to pay the past taxes and interest by the due date is subject to the penalties provided in G.S. 105-236.

(j) Change in Ownership of Business. - As used in this subsection, the term "business" means a taxpayer or an establishment. The sale, merger, consolidation, conversion, acquisition, or bankruptcy of a business, or any transaction by which an existing business reformulates itself as another business, does not create new eligibility in a succeeding business with respect to credits for which the predecessor was not eligible under this Article. A successor business may, however, take any credit or carried-over portion of a credit that its predecessor could have taken if it had a tax liability. The acquisition of a business is a new investment that creates new eligibility in the acquiring taxpayer under this Article if any of the following conditions are met:

(1) The business closed before it was acquired.

(2) The business was required to file a notice of plant closing or mass layoff under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2101, before it was acquired.

(3) The business was acquired by its employees directly or indirectly through an acquisition company under an employee stock option transaction or another similar mechanism. For the purpose of this subdivision, "acquired" means that as part of the initial purchase of a business by the employees, the purchase included an agreement for the employees through the employee stock option transaction or another similar mechanism to obtain one of the following:

a. Ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the business.

b. Ownership of not less than forty percent (40%) of the business within seven years if the business has tangible assets with a net book value in excess of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) and has the majority of its operations located in a development tier one area.

(k) Advisory Ruling. - A taxpayer may request in writing from the Secretary of Revenue specific advice regarding eligibility for a credit under this Article. G.S. 105-264 governs the effect of this advice. A taxpayer may not legally rely upon advice offered by any other State or local government official or employee acting in an official capacity regarding eligibility for a credit under this Article.

( l ) Planned Expansion. - A taxpayer that signs a letter of commitment with the Department of Commerce, after the Department has calculated the development tier designations for the next year but before the beginning of that year, to undertake specific activities at a specific site within the next two years may calculate the credit for which it qualifies based on the establishment's development tier designation and urban progress zone, port enhancement zone, or agrarian growth zone designation in the year in which the letter of commitment was signed by the taxpayer. If the taxpayer does not engage in the activities within the two-year period, the taxpayer does not qualify for the credit; however, if the taxpayer later engages in the activities, the taxpayer qualifies for the credit based on the development tier and urban progress zone, port enhancement zone, or agrarian growth zone designations in effect at that time.

(m) Qualified Capital Intensive Corporations. - A corporation that is a qualified capital intensive corporation under G.S. 105-130.4(s1) is not eligible for any credit under this Article with respect to the facility that satisfies the condition of subdivision (2) of that subsection. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2007-491, s. 44(1)a; 2009-54, s. 3; 2010-147, s. 1.4; 2011-302, s. 7; 2015-241, s. 14.30(v).)

§ 105-129.84. (See notes) Tax election; cap; carryforwards; limitations.

(a) Tax Election. - The credits provided in this Article are allowed against the franchise tax levied in Article 3 of this Chapter, the income taxes levied in Article 4 of this Chapter, and the gross premiums tax levied in Article 8B of this Chapter. The taxpayer may divide a credit between the taxes against which it is allowed. Carryforwards of a credit may be divided between the taxes against which it is allowed without regard to the original election regarding the division of the credit.

(b) Cap. - The credits allowed under this Article may not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the cumulative amount of taxes against which they may be claimed for the taxable year, reduced by the sum of all other credits allowed against those taxes, except tax payments made by or on behalf of the taxpayer. This limitation applies to the cumulative amount of credit, including carryforwards, claimed by the taxpayer under this Article for the taxable year.

(c) Carryforward. - Unless a longer carryforward period applies, any unused portion of a credit allowed under G.S. 105-129.87 or G.S. 105-129.88 may be carried forward for the succeeding five years, and any unused portion of a credit allowed under G.S. 105-129.89 may be carried forward for the succeeding 15 years. If the Secretary of Commerce makes a written determination that the taxpayer is expected to purchase or lease, and place in service in connection with an eligible business within a two-year period, at least one hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000) worth of business and real property, any unused portion of a credit under this Article with respect to the establishment that satisfies that condition may be carried forward for the succeeding 20 years. If the taxpayer does not make the required level of investment, the taxpayer shall apply the standard carryforward period rather than the 20-year carryforward period.

(d) Statute of Limitations. - Notwithstanding Article 9 of this Chapter, a taxpayer shall claim a credit under this Article within six months after the date set by statute for the filing of the return, including any extensions of that date.

(e) Credit Treated as Tax Payment. - The owner of a pass-through entity that claims a credit under this Article may treat some or all of the credit claimed as a tax payment made by or on behalf of the taxpayer. A credit claimed that is treated as a tax payment is subject to all provisions of this section. A credit claimed that is treated as a tax payment does not accrue interest under G.S. 105-241.21 if the payment is determined to be an overpayment. A taxpayer that elects to have a credit claimed under this Article treated as a tax payment must make this election when the return is filed. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2011-297, s. 4; 2013-414, s. 4.)

§ 105-129.85. (See notes) Fees and reports.

(a) Fee. - When filing a return for a taxable year in which the taxpayer engaged in activity for which the taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this Article, the taxpayer shall pay the Department of Revenue a fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each type of credit the taxpayer claims or intends to claim with respect to an establishment. The fee is due at the time the return is due for the taxable year in which the taxpayer engaged in the activity for which the taxpayer is eligible for a credit. No credit is allowed under this Article for a taxable year until all outstanding fees have been paid. Fees collected under this section shall be credited to the General Fund.

(b) Report. - The Department must include in the economic incentives report required by G.S. 105-256 the following information itemized by credit and by taxpayer:

(1) The number and amount of credits generated and taken for each credit allowed in this Article.

(2) The number and development tier area of new jobs with respect to which credits were generated and to which credits were taken.

(3) The cost and development tier area of business property with respect to which credits were generated and to which credits were taken.

(4) The cost and development tier area of real property investment with respect to which credits were generated and to which credits were taken. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2010-166, s. 1.9.)

§ 105-129.86. (See notes) Substantiation.

(a) Records. - To claim a credit allowed by this Article, the taxpayer shall provide any information required by the Secretary of Revenue. Every taxpayer claiming a credit under this Article shall maintain and make available for inspection by the Secretary of Revenue any records the Secretary considers necessary to determine and verify the amount of the credit to which the taxpayer is entitled. The burden of proving eligibility for the credit and the amount of the credit shall rest upon the taxpayer, and no credit shall be allowed to a taxpayer that fails to maintain adequate records or to make them available for inspection.

(b) Documentation. - Each taxpayer shall provide with the tax return qualifying information for each credit claimed under this Article. The qualifying information shall be in the form prescribed by the Secretary and shall be signed and affirmed by the individual who signs the taxpayer's tax return. The information required by this subsection is information demonstrating that the taxpayer has met the conditions for qualifying for a credit and any carryforwards and includes the following:

(1) The physical location of the jobs and investment with respect to which the credit is claimed, including the street address and the development tier designation of the establishment.

(2) The type of business with respect to which the credit is claimed and the average weekly wage at the establishment with respect to which the credit is claimed.

(3) Any other qualifying information related to a specific credit allowed under this Article. (2006-252, s. 1.1.)

§ 105-129.87. (See notes) Credit for creating jobs.

(a) Credit. - A taxpayer that meets the eligibility requirements set out in G.S. 105-129.83 and satisfies the threshold requirement for new job creation in this State under subsection (b) of this section during the taxable year is allowed a credit for creating jobs. The amount of the credit for each new job created is set out in the table below and is based on the development tier designation of the county in which the job is located. If the job is located in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the amount of the credit is increased by one thousand dollars ($1,000) per job. In addition, if a job located in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone is filled by a resident of that zone or by a long-term unemployed worker, the amount of the credit is increased by an additional two thousand dollars ($2,000) per job.

Area Development Tier Amount of Credit

Tier One $12,500

Tier Two 5,000

Tier Three 750

(b) Threshold. - The applicable threshold is the appropriate amount set out in the following table based on the development tier designation of the county where the new jobs are created during the taxable year. If the taxpayer creates new jobs at more than one eligible establishment in a county during the taxable year, the threshold applies to the aggregate number of new jobs created at all eligible establishments within the county during that year. If the taxpayer creates new jobs at eligible establishments in different counties during the taxable year, the threshold applies separately to the aggregate number of new jobs created at eligible establishments in each county. If the taxpayer creates new jobs in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the applicable threshold is the one for a development tier one area. New jobs created in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone are not aggregated with jobs created at any other eligible establishments regardless of county.

Area Development Tier Threshold

Tier One 5

Tier Two 10

Tier Three 15

(c) Calculation. - A job is located in a county, an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone if more than fifty percent (50%) of the employee's duties are performed in the county or the zone. The number of new jobs a taxpayer creates during the taxable year is determined by subtracting the average number of full-time employees the taxpayer had in this State during the 12-month period preceding the beginning of the taxable year from the average number of full-time employees the taxpayer has in this State during the taxable year.

(d) Installments. - The credit may not be taken in the taxable year in which the new jobs are created. Instead, the credit shall be taken in equal installments over the four years following the taxable year in which the new jobs were created and is conditional upon the continued maintenance of those jobs by the taxpayer. If, in one of the four years in which the installment of a credit accrues, a job is no longer filled, the credit with respect to that job expires, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installment of the credit with respect to that job. If, in one of the years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the number of the taxpayer's full-time employees falls below the sum of the applicable threshold and the number of full-time employees the taxpayer had in the year before the year in which the taxpayer qualified for the credit, the credits with respect to all of the new jobs expire, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installments of the credits. When a credit expires under this subsection, the taxpayer may, however, take the portion of an installment that accrued in a previous year and was carried forward to the extent permitted under G.S. 105-129.84.

(e) Transferred Jobs. - Jobs transferred from one area in the State to another area in the State are not considered new jobs for purposes of this section. Jobs that were located in this State and that are transferred to the taxpayer from a related member of the taxpayer are not considered new jobs for purposes of this section. If, in one of the four years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the job with respect to which the credit was claimed is moved to an area in a higher-numbered development tier or out of an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the remaining installments of the credit are allowed only to the extent they would have been allowed if the job was initially created in the area to which it was moved. If, in one of the years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the job with respect to which the credit was claimed is moved to an area in a lower-numbered development tier or an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the remaining installments of the credit shall be calculated as if the job had been created initially in the area to which it was moved.

(f) Wage Standard. - For the purposes of this section, a taxpayer satisfies the wage standard requirement of G.S. 105-129.83 only if the taxpayer satisfies the requirement with respect to both the new jobs, considered collectively, for which a credit is claimed and all of the jobs at the establishment, considered collectively, with respect to which a credit is claimed.

(g) No Double Credit. - A taxpayer may not claim a credit under this section with respect to jobs for which a taxpayer claims a credit under G.S. 105-129.8. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2007-527, s. 6; 2011-302, s. 8.)

§ 105-129.88. (See notes) Credit for investing in business property.

(a) General Credit. - A taxpayer that meets the eligibility requirements set out in G.S. 105-129.83 and that has purchased or leased business property and placed it in service in this State during the taxable year and that has satisfied the threshold requirements of subsection (c) of this section is allowed a credit equal to the applicable percentage of the excess of the eligible investment amount over the applicable threshold. If the taxpayer places business property in service in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the applicable percentage is the one for a development tier one area. Business property is eligible if it is not leased to another party. The credit may not be taken for the taxable year in which the business property is placed in service but shall be taken in equal installments over the four years following the taxable year in which it is placed in service. The applicable percentage is as follows:

Area Development Tier Applicable Percentage

Tier One 7%

Tier Two 5%

Tier Three 3.5%

(b) Eligible Investment Amount. - The eligible investment amount is the lesser of (i) the cost of the eligible business property and (ii) the amount by which the cost of all of the taxpayer's eligible business property that is in service in this State on the last day of the taxable year exceeds the cost of all of the taxpayer's eligible business property that was in service in this State on the last day of the base year. The base year is that year, of the three immediately preceding taxable years, in which the taxpayer had the most eligible business property in service in this State.

(c) Threshold. - The applicable threshold is the appropriate amount set out in the following table based on the development tier where the eligible business property is placed in service during the taxable year. If the taxpayer places business property in service in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the applicable threshold is the one for a development tier one area. Business property placed in service in an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone is not aggregated with business property placed in service at any other eligible establishments regardless of county. If the taxpayer places eligible business property in service at more than one establishment in a county during the taxable year, the threshold applies to the aggregate amount of eligible business property placed in service during the taxable year at all establishments in the county. If the taxpayer places eligible business property in service at establishments in different counties, the threshold applies separately to the aggregate amount of eligible business property placed in service in each county. If the taxpayer places eligible business property in service at an establishment over the course of a two-year period, the applicable threshold for the second taxable year is reduced by the eligible investment amount for the previous taxable year.

Area Development Tier Threshold

Tier One $ -0-

Tier Two 1,000,000

Tier Three 2,000,000

(d) Expiration. - As used in this subsection, the term "disposed of" means disposed of, taken out of service, or moved out of State. If, in one of the four years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the business property with respect to which the credit was claimed is disposed of, the credit expires, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installment of the credit for that business property unless the cost of that business property is offset in the same taxable year by the taxpayer's new investment in eligible business property placed in service in the same county, as provided in this subsection. If, during the taxable year, the taxpayer disposed of the business property for which installments remain, there has been a net reduction in the cost of all the taxpayer's eligible business property that are in service in the same county as the business property that was disposed of, and the amount of this reduction is greater than twenty percent (20%) of the cost of the business property that was disposed of, then the credit for the business property that was disposed of expires. If the amount of the net reduction is equal to twenty percent (20%) or less of the cost of the business property that was disposed of, or if there is no net reduction, then the credit does not expire. In determining the amount of any net reduction during the taxable year, the cost of business property the taxpayer placed in service during the taxable year and for which the taxpayer claims a credit under Article 3A or Article 3B of this Chapter may not be included in the cost of all the taxpayer's eligible business property that is in service. If in a single taxable year business property with respect to two or more credits in the same county are disposed of, the net reduction in the cost of all the taxpayer's eligible business property that is in service in the same county is compared to the total cost of all the business property for which credits expired in order to determine whether the remaining installments of the credits are forfeited.

The expiration of a credit does not prevent the taxpayer from taking the portion of an installment that accrued in a previous year and was carried forward to the extent permitted under G.S. 105-129.84.

(e) Transferred Property. - If, in one of the four years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the business property with respect to which the credit was claimed is moved to a county in a higher-numbered development tier or out of an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the remaining installments of the credit are allowed only to the extent they would have been allowed if the business property had been placed in service initially in the area to which it was moved. If, in one of the four years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the business property with respect to which a credit was claimed is moved to a county in a lower-numbered development tier or an urban progress zone, a port enhancement zone, or an agrarian growth zone, the remaining installments of the credit shall be calculated as if the business property had been placed in service initially in the area to which it was moved.

(f) Wage Standard. - For the purposes of this section, a taxpayer satisfies the wage standard requirement of G.S. 105-129.83 only if the taxpayer satisfies the requirement with respect to all of the jobs at the establishment, considered collectively, with respect to which a credit is claimed.

(g) No Double Credit. - A taxpayer may not claim a credit under this section with respect to business property for which the taxpayer claims a credit under G.S. 105-129.9 or G.S. 105-129.9A. (2006-252, s. 1.1; 2007-527, ss. 7, 8; 2011-302, s. 9.)

§ 105-129.89. (See notes) Credit for investment in real property.

(a) Credit. - If a taxpayer that has purchased or leased real property in a development tier one area begins to use the property in an eligible business during the taxable year, the taxpayer is allowed a credit equal to thirty percent (30%) of the eligible investment amount if all of the eligibility requirements of G.S. 105-129.83 and of subsection (b) of this section are met. For the purposes of this section, property is located in a development tier one area if the area the property is located in was a development tier one area at the time the taxpayer made a written application for the determination required under subsection (b) of this section. The eligible investment amount is the lesser of (i) the cost of the property and (ii) the amount by which the cost of all of the real property the taxpayer is using in this State in an eligible business on the last day of the taxable year exceeds the cost of all of the real property the taxpayer was using in this State in an eligible business on the last day of the base year. The base year is that year, of the three immediately preceding taxable years, in which the taxpayer was using the most real property in this State in an eligible business. In the case of property that is leased, the cost of the property is not determined as provided in G.S. 105-129.81 but is considered to be the taxpayer's lease payments over a seven-year period, plus any expenditures made by the taxpayer to improve the property before it is used by the taxpayer if the expenditures are not reimbursed or credited by the lessor. The entire credit may not be taken for the taxable year in which the property is first used in an eligible business but shall be taken in equal installments over the seven years following the taxable year in which the property is first used in an eligible business. When part of the property is first used in an eligible business in one year and part is first used in an eligible business in a later year, separate credits may be claimed for the amount of property first used in an eligible business in each year. The basis in any real property for which a credit is allowed under this section shall be reduced by the amount of credit allowable.

(b) Determination by the Secretary of Commerce. - A taxpayer is eligible for the credit allowed under this section with respect to an establishment only if the Secretary of Commerce makes a written determination that the taxpayer is expected to purchase or lease and use in an eligible business at that establishment within a three-year period at least ten million dollars ($10,000,000) of real property and that the establishment that is the subject of the credit will create at least 200 new jobs within two years of the time that the property is first used in an eligible business. If the taxpayer fails to timely make the required level of investment or fails to timely create the required number of new jobs, the taxpayer forfeits the credit as provided in G.S. 105-129.83.

(c) Mixed Use Property. - If the taxpayer uses only part of the property in an eligible business, the amount of the credit allowed under this section is reduced by multiplying it by a fraction, the numerator of which is the square footage of the property used in an eligible business and the denominator of which is the total square footage of the property.

(d) Expiration. - If, in one of the seven years in which the installment of a credit accrues, the property with respect to which the credit was claimed is no longer used in an eligible business, the credit expires, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installment of the credit. If, in one of the seven years in which the installment of a credit accrues, part of the property with respect to which the credit was claimed is no longer used in an eligible business, the remaining installments of the credit shall be reduced by multiplying it by the fraction described in subsection (c) of this section. If, in one of the years in which the installment of a credit accrues and by which the taxpayer is required to have created 200 new jobs at the property, the total number of employees the taxpayer employs at the property with respect to which the credit is claimed is less than 200, the credit expires, and the taxpayer may not take any remaining installment of the credit.

In each of these cases, the taxpayer may nonetheless take the portion of an installment that accrued in a previous year and was carried forward to the extent permitted under G.S. 105-129.84.

(e) No Double Credit. - A taxpayer may not claim a credit under this section with respect to real property for which a credit is claimed under G.S. 105-129.12 or G.S. 105-129.12A. (2006-252, s. 1.1.)

§ 105-129.90. Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.91. Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.92. Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.93. Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.94. Reserved for future codification purposes.

Article 3K.

Tax Incentives for Railroad Intermodal Facilities.

(Repealed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038. See G.S. 105-129.99.)

§ 105-129.95. (Repealed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038 - see note) Definitions.

The following definitions apply in this Article:

(1) Costs of construction. - The costs of acquiring and improving land, constructing buildings and other structures, equipping the facility, and constructing and equipping rail tracks to the railroad intermodal facility that are necessary to access and support facility operations. In the case of property owned or leased by the taxpayer, cost is determined pursuant to regulations adopted under section 1012 of the Code.

(2) Eligible railroad intermodal facility. - A railroad intermodal facility whose costs of construction exceed thirty million dollars ($30,000,000).

(3) Intermodal facility. - A facility where freight is transferred from one mode of transportation to another.

(4) Railroad intermodal facility. - An intermodal facility whose primary purpose is to transfer freight between a railroad and another mode of transportation. (2007-323, s. 31.23(a); 2007-345, s. 14.7(a).)

§ 105-129.96. (Repealed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038 - see note) Credit for constructing a railroad intermodal facility.

(a) (Effective for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2017) Credit. - A taxpayer that constructs or leases an eligible railroad intermodal facility in this State and places it in service during the taxable year is allowed a tax credit equal to fifty percent (50%) of all amounts payable by the taxpayer towards the costs of construction or under the lease.

(a) (Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017) Credit. - A taxpayer that constructs or leases an eligible railroad intermodal facility in this State is allowed a tax credit equal to fifty percent (50%) of all amounts payable by the taxpayer towards the costs of construction or under the lease if the facility is placed in service in this State during the taxable year. No credit is allowed under this section to the extent the cost of the eligible railroad intermodal facility was provided by public funds.

(b) Taxes Credited. - The credit provided in this section is allowed against the franchise tax levied in Article 3 of this Chapter or the income taxes levied in Article 4 of this Chapter. The taxpayer must elect the tax against which a credit will be claimed when filing the return on which the first installment of the credit is claimed. This election is binding. The credit may not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the tax against which it is applied. Any unused portion of a credit may be carried forward for the succeeding 10 years. Any carryforwards of a credit must be claimed against the same tax.

(c) (Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017) No Double Credit. - A taxpayer may not take the credit allowed in this section for an eligible railroad intermodal facility the taxpayer leases from another unless the taxpayer obtains the lessor's written certification that the lessor will not claim a credit under this Chapter with respect to the facility. (2007-323, s. 31.23(a); 2017-39, s. 3(a).)

§ 105-129.97. (Repealed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038 - see note) Substantiation.

To claim a credit allowed by this Article, the taxpayer must provide any information required by the Secretary. Each taxpayer claiming a credit under this Article must maintain and make available for inspection by the Secretary any records the Secretary considers necessary to determine and verify the amount of the credit to which the taxpayer is entitled. The burden of proving eligibility for a credit and the amount of the credit rests upon the taxpayer, and no credit may be allowed to a taxpayer that fails to maintain adequate records or to make them available for inspection. (2007-323, s. 31.23(a).)

§ 105-129.98. (Repealed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038 - see note) Report.

The Department must include in the economic incentives report required by G.S. 105-256 the following information itemized by taxpayer:

(1) The number of taxpayers that claimed a credit allowed in this Article.

(2) The amount of each credit claimed and the taxes against which it was applied.

(3) The total cost to the General Fund of the credits claimed. (2007-323, s. 31.23(a); 2010-166, s. 1.10.)

§ 105-129.99. Sunset.

This Article is repealed effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2038. (2007-323, s. 31.23(a).)

§ 105-129.100: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.101: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.102: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.103: Reserved for future codification purposes.

§ 105-129.104: Reserved for future codification purposes.

Article 3L.

Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits Investment Program.

§ 105-129.105. (See note for repeal) Credit for rehabilitating income-producing historic structure.

(a) Credit. - A taxpayer who is allowed a federal income tax credit under section 47 of the Code for making qualified rehabilitation expenditures for a certified historic structure located in this State is allowed a credit equal to the sum of the following:

(1) Base amount. - The percentage of qualified rehabilitation expenditures at the levels provided in the table below:

Expenses

Over Up To Rate

0 $10 million 15.00%

$10 million $20 million 10.00%

(2) Development tier bonus. - An amount equal to five percent (5%) of qualified rehabilitation expenditures not exceeding twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) if the certified historic structure is located in a development tier one or two area.

(3) Targeted investment bonus. - An amount equal to five percent (5%) of qualified rehabilitation expenditures not exceeding twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) if the certified historic structure is located on an eligible targeted investment site.

(4) Education bonus. - An amount equal to five percent (5%) of qualified rehabilitation expenditures not exceeding twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) if the certified historic structure was originally used for an educational purpose, is used for an educational purpose following the rehabilitation, and remains used for an educational purpose for each year in which the credit, or a carryforward of the credit, is claimed. For a certified historic structure used for multiple purposes, the bonus provided in this subdivision shall be proportionate to the area of the certified historic structure used for an educational purpose.

(b) Pass-Through Entity. - Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 105-131.8 and G.S. 105-269.15, a pass-through entity that qualifies for the credit provided in this section may allocate the credit among any of its owners in its discretion as long as an owner’s adjusted basis in the pass-through entity, as determined under the Code, at the end of the taxable year in which the certified historic structure is placed in service, is at least forty percent (40%) of the amount of credit allocated to that owner. Owners to whom a credit is allocated are allowed the credit as if they had qualified for the credit directly. A pass-through entity and its owners must include with their tax returns for every taxable year in which an allocated credit is claimed a statement of the allocation made by the pass-through entity and the allocation that would have been required under G.S. 105-131.8 or G.S. 105-269.15.

(c) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section:

(1) Certified historic structure. - Defined in section 47 of the Code.

(2) Development tier area. - Defined in G.S. 143B-437.08.

(2a) Educational purpose. - A purpose that has as its objective the education or instruction of human beings; it comprehends the transmission of information and the training or development of the knowledge or skills of individual persons.

(3) Eligibility certification. - A certification obtained from the State Historic Preservation Officer that the site comprises an eligible targeted investment site.

(4) Eligible targeted investment site. - A site located in this State that satisfies all of the following conditions:

a. It was used as a manufacturing facility or for purposes ancillary to manufacturing, as a warehouse for selling agricultural products, or as a public or private utility.

b. It is a certified historic structure.

c. It has been at least sixty-five percent (65%) vacant for a period of at least two years immediately preceding the date the eligibility certification is made.

(5) Pass-through entity. - Defined in G.S. 105-228.90.

(6) Qualified rehabilitation expenditures. - Defined in section 47 of the Code.

(7) State Historic Preservation Officer. - The Deputy Secretary of the Office of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, or the Deputy Secretary’s designee, who acts to administer the historic preservation programs within the State.

(8) Targeted investment. - Qualified rehabilitation expenditures on a certified historic structure that is located on an eligible targeted investment site.

(d) Limitations. - The amount of credit allowed under this section with respect to qualified rehabilitation expenditures for an income-producing certified historic structure may not exceed four million five hundred thousand dollars ($4,500,000).

(e) 2014 and 2015 Expenses. - A taxpayer is eligible for a credit under this section for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, for qualifying rehabilitation expenditures that were incurred in 2014 and 2015 if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The certified historic structure is located in a Tier 1 or a Tier 2 county.

(2) The certified historic structure is owned by a city.

(3) The qualifying rehabilitation activity commenced in 2014.

(4) A certificate of occupancy is issued on or before December 31, 2015.

(5) The taxpayer meets all of the other conditions in this section. (2015-241, ss. 14.30(c), 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(a), (b); 2017-102, s. 33; 2021-180, s. 42.7A(a).)

§ 105-129.106. (See note for repeal) Credit for rehabilitating non-income-producing historic structure.

(a) Credit. - A taxpayer who is not allowed a federal income tax credit under section 47 of the Code and who has rehabilitation expenses of at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for a State-certified historic structure located in this State is allowed a credit equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the rehabilitation expenses.

(b) Limitations. - The amount of credit allowed under this section with respect to rehabilitation expenses for a non-income-producing certified historic structure may not exceed twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars ($22,500) per discrete property parcel. In the event that the taxpayer is the transferee of a State-certified historic structure for which rehabilitation expenses were made, the taxpayer as transferee is allowed a credit under this section for the rehabilitation expenses made by the transferor only if the transfer takes place before the structure is placed in service. In this event, the transferor must provide the transferee with documentation detailing the amount of rehabilitation expenses and credit. No other taxpayer may claim such credit. A taxpayer is allowed to claim a credit under this section no more than once in any five-year period, carryovers notwithstanding.

(c) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section:

(1) Certified rehabilitation. - Repairs or alterations consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and certified as such by the State Historic Preservation Officer.

(2) Discrete property parcel. - A lot or tract described by metes and bounds, a deed or plat of which has been recorded in the deed records of the county in which the property is located, and on which a State-certified historic structure is located, or a single condominium unit in a State-certified historic structure.

(3) Placed in service. - The later of the date on which the rehabilitation is completed or the date on which the property is used for its intended purpose.

(4) Rehabilitation expenses. - Expenses incurred in the certified rehabilitation of a certified historic structure and added to the property's basis. The expenses must be incurred within any 24-month period per discrete property parcel. The term does not include the cost of acquiring the property, the cost attributable to the enlargement of an existing building, the cost of site work expenditures, or the cost of personal property.

(5) State-certified historic structure. - A structure that is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places or is certified by the State Historic Preservation Officer as contributing to the historic significance of a National Register Historic District or a locally designated historic district certified by the United States Department of the Interior.

(6) State Historic Preservation Officer. - Defined in G.S. 105-129.105(c)(7). (2015-241, s. 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(b); 2017-102, s. 33; 2017-204, s. 1.4(a).)

§ 105-129.107. (See note for repeal) Rules; fees.

(a) Rules. - The North Carolina Historical Commission, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer, may adopt rules needed to administer any certification process required by this Article.

(b) Fees. - The North Carolina Historical Commission, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer, may adopt a schedule of fees for providing any certifications required by this Article, or Article 3D or 3H as they provided as of December 31, 2014. In establishing the fee schedule, the Commission shall consider the administrative and personnel costs incurred by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. An application fee may not exceed one percent (1%) of the completed qualifying rehabilitation expenditures. The proceeds of the fees are receipts of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and must be used for performing its duties under this Article. (2015-241, ss. 14.30(c), 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(b).)

§ 105-129.108. (See note for repeal) Tax credited; credit limitations.

(a) Tax Credited. - The credits provided in this Article are allowed against the franchise tax imposed in Article 3 of this Chapter, the income taxes levied in Article 4 of this Chapter, or the gross premiums tax imposed in Article 8B of this Chapter. The taxpayer may take a credit allowed by this Article against only one of the taxes against which it is allowed. The taxpayer must elect the tax against which a credit will be claimed when filing the return on which it is claimed, and this election is binding. Any carryforwards of a credit must be claimed against the same tax.

(b) Return. - A taxpayer may claim a credit allowed by this Article on a return filed for the taxable year in which the certified historic structure was placed into service. When an income-producing certified historic structure as defined in G.S. 105-129.105 is placed into service in two or more phases in different years, the amount of credit that may be claimed in a year is the amount based on the qualified rehabilitation expenditures associated with the phase placed into service during that year.

(c) Cap. - A credit allowed under this Article may not exceed the amount of the tax against which it is claimed for the taxable year reduced by the sum of all credits allowed, except payments of tax made by or on behalf of the taxpayer. Any unused portion of the credit may be carried forward for the succeeding nine years.

(d) Forfeiture for Disposition. - A taxpayer who is required under section 50 of the Code to recapture all or part of the federal credit for rehabilitating an income-producing historic structure located in this State forfeits the corresponding part of the State credit allowed under G.S. 105-129.105 with respect to that historic structure. If the credit was allocated among the owners of a pass-through entity, the forfeiture applies to the owners in the same proportion that the credit was allocated.

(e) Forfeiture for Change in Ownership. - If an owner of a pass-through entity that has qualified for the credit allowed under G.S. 105-129.105 disposes of all or a portion of the owner's interest in the pass-through entity within five years from the date the rehabilitated historic structure is placed in service and the owner's interest in the pass-through entity is reduced to less than two-thirds of the owner's interest in the pass-through entity at the time the historic structure was placed in service, the owner forfeits a portion of the credit. The amount forfeited is determined by multiplying the amount of credit by the percentage reduction in ownership and then multiplying that product by the forfeiture percentage. The forfeiture percentage equals the recapture percentage found in the table in section 50(a)(1)(B) of the Code.

(f) Exceptions to Forfeiture. - Forfeiture as provided in subsection (e) of this section is not required if the change in ownership is the result of any of the following:

(1) The death of the owner.

(2) A merger, consolidation, or similar transaction requiring approval by the shareholders, partners, or members of the taxpayer under applicable State law, to the extent the taxpayer does not receive cash or tangible property in the merger, consolidation, or other similar transaction.

(g) Liability From Forfeiture. - A taxpayer or an owner of a pass-through entity that forfeits a credit under this section is liable for all past taxes avoided as a result of the credit plus interest at the rate established under G.S. 105-241.21, computed from the date the taxes would have been due if the credit had not been allowed. The past taxes and interest are due 30 days after the date the credit is forfeited. A taxpayer or owner of a pass-through entity that fails to pay the taxes and interest by the due date is subject to the penalties provided in G.S. 105-236.

(h) Substantiation. - To claim a credit allowed by this Article, the taxpayer must provide any information required by the Secretary of Revenue, including a copy of the certification obtained from the State Historic Preservation Office verifying that the historic structure has been rehabilitated in accordance with the requirements set out in this Article, and a copy of the eligibility certification if the historic structure is located in an eligible targeted investment site and the targeted investment bonus is claimed. Every taxpayer claiming a credit under this Article must maintain and make available for inspection by the Secretary of Revenue any records the Secretary considers necessary to determine and verify the amount of the credit to which the taxpayer is entitled. The burden of proving eligibility for the credit and the amount of the credit rests upon the taxpayer, and no credit may be allowed to a taxpayer that fails to maintain adequate records or to make them available for inspection.

(i) No Double Credit. - A taxpayer that claims a credit under this Article may not also claim a credit under Article 3D or Article 3H of this Chapter with respect to the same activity. (2015-241, s. 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(b); 2015-268, s. 10.1(b).)

§ 105-129.109. (See note for repeal) Report; tracking.

(a) The Department must include in the economic incentives report required by G.S. 105-256 the following information itemized by taxpayer:

(1) The number of taxpayers that took the credits allowed in this Article.

(2) The amount of rehabilitation expenses and qualified rehabilitation expenditures with respect to which credits were taken.

(3) The total cost to the General Fund of the credits taken.

(b) The Department shall include in the economic incentives report required by G.S. 105-256 the following information:

(1) The total amount of tax credits claimed and the total amount of tax credits taken against current taxes, by type of tax, during the relevant tax year.

(2) The total amount of tax credits carried forward, by type of tax. (2015-241, s. 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(b).)

§ 105-129.110. Sunset.

This Article expires for qualified rehabilitation expenditures and rehabilitation expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2030. For qualified rehabilitation expenditures and rehabilitation expenses incurred prior to January 1, 2030, this Article expires for property not placed in service by January 1, 2032. (2015-241, s. 32.3(a); 2015-264, s. 54.5(b); 2017-102, s. 33; 2018-5, s. 38.10(k); 2019-237, s. 3(a); 2021-180, s. 42.7A(b).)

Article 4.

Income Tax.