Tiers; requirements; incentives; enumerated; deadlines

(a) Tier 1, investment in qualified property of at least one million dollars and the hiring of at least ten new employees. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect;

(b) Tier 2, (i) investment in qualified property of at least three million dollars and the hiring of at least thirty new employees or (ii) for a large data center project, investment in qualified property for the data center of at least two hundred million dollars and the hiring for the data center of at least thirty new employees. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect;

(c) Tier 3, the hiring of at least thirty new employees. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect;

(d) Tier 4, investment in qualified property of at least ten million dollars and the hiring of at least one hundred new employees. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect;

(e) Tier 5, (i) investment in qualified property of at least thirty million dollars or (ii) for the production of electricity by using one or more sources of renewable energy to produce electricity for sale as described in subdivision (1)(j) of section 77-5715 , investment in qualified property of at least twenty million dollars. Failure to maintain an average number of equivalent employees as defined in section 77-5727 greater than or equal to the number of equivalent employees in the base year shall result in a partial recapture of benefits. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect; and

(f) Tier 6, investment in qualified property of at least ten million dollars and the hiring of at least seventy-five new employees or the investment in qualified property of at least one hundred million dollars and the hiring of at least fifty new employees. There shall be no new project applications for benefits under this tier filed after December 31, 2020. All complete project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020, shall be considered by the Tax Commissioner and approved if the project and taxpayer qualify for benefits. Agreements may be executed with regard to completed project applications filed on or before December 31, 2020. All project agreements pending, approved, or entered into before such date shall continue in full force and effect.

(2) When the taxpayer has met the required levels of employment and investment contained in the agreement for a tier 1, tier 2, tier 4, tier 5, or tier 6 project, the taxpayer shall be entitled to the following incentives:

(a) A refund of all sales and use taxes for a tier 2, tier 4, tier 5, or tier 6 project or a refund of one-half of all sales and use taxes for a tier 1 project paid under the Local Option Revenue Act, the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, and sections 13-319 , 13-324 , 13-2813 , and 77-6403 from the date of the application through the meeting of the required levels of employment and investment for all purchases, including rentals, of:

(i) Qualified property used as a part of the project;

(ii) Property, excluding motor vehicles, based in this state and used in both this state and another state in connection with the project except when any such property is to be used for fundraising for or for the transportation of an elected official;

(iii) Tangible personal property by a contractor or repairperson after appointment as a purchasing agent of the owner of the improvement to real estate when such property is incorporated into real estate as a part of a project. The refund shall be based on fifty percent of the contract price, excluding any land, as the cost of materials subject to the sales and use tax;

(iv) Tangible personal property by a contractor or repairperson after appointment as a purchasing agent of the taxpayer when such property is annexed to, but not incorporated into, real estate as a part of a project. The refund shall be based on the cost of materials subject to the sales and use tax that were annexed to real estate; and

(v) Tangible personal property by a contractor or repairperson after appointment as a purchasing agent of the taxpayer when such property is both (A) incorporated into real estate as a part of a project and (B) annexed to, but not incorporated into, real estate as a part of a project. The refund shall be based on fifty percent of the contract price, excluding any land, as the cost of materials subject to the sales and use tax; and

(b)(i) A refund of all sales and use taxes for a tier 2, tier 4, tier 5, or tier 6 project, excluding the tier 2 and tier 5 projects described in subdivision (2)(b)(ii) of this section, or a refund of one-half of all sales and use taxes for a tier 1 project paid under the Local Option Revenue Act, the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, and sections 13-319 , 13-324 , 13-2813 , and 77-6403 on the types of purchases, including rentals, listed in subdivision (a) of this subsection for such taxes paid during each year of the entitlement period in which the taxpayer is at or above the required levels of employment and investment; or

(ii) An exemption from all sales and use taxes for a tier 2 large data center project or a tier 5 project that is sequential to a tier 2 large data center project imposed under the Local Option Revenue Act, the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967, and sections 13-319 , 13-324 , 13-2813 , and 77-6403 on the types of purchases, including rentals, listed in subdivision (a) of this subsection for such purchases, including rentals, occurring during each year of the entitlement period in which the taxpayer is at or above the required levels of employment and investment, except that the exemption shall be for the actual materials purchased with respect to subdivisions (2)(a)(iii), (iv), and (v) of this section. The Tax Commissioner shall issue such rules, regulations, certificates, and forms as are appropriate to implement the efficient use of this exemption.

(3) For agreements involving a tier 2 large data center project or a tier 5 project that is sequential to a tier 2 large data center project:

(a) Within sixty days after January 1, 2023, any taxpayer who meets the requirements of subsection (1) of section 77-2705.01 shall be issued a direct payment permit under section 77-2705.01 , unless the taxpayer has opted out of this requirement. For any taxpayer who is issued a direct payment permit, until such taxpayer meets the required levels of employment and investment contained in the agreement, the taxpayer must pay and remit any applicable sales and use taxes as required by the Tax Commissioner. Any taxpayer who is issued a direct payment permit under this subdivision or who otherwise receives the benefit of any refunds or exemptions under this section shall comply with all data disclosure requirements in subsection (7) of section 77-27,144 , including disclosures to a municipality which would have received sales and use taxes but for an exemption allowed under this section; and

(b) If the taxpayer meets the required levels of employment and investment contained in the agreement, the taxpayer shall receive the sales tax refunds described in subdivision (2)(a) of this section. For any year in which the taxpayer is not at the required levels of employment and investment, the taxpayer shall report all sales and use taxes owed for the period on the taxpayer's tax return.

(4) Any taxpayer who qualifies for a tier 1, tier 2, tier 3, or tier 4 project shall be entitled to a credit equal to three percent times the average wage of new employees times the number of new employees if the average wage of the new employees equals at least sixty percent of the Nebraska average annual wage for the year of application. The credit shall equal four percent times the average wage of new employees times the number of new employees if the average wage of the new employees equals at least seventy-five percent of the Nebraska average annual wage for the year of application. The credit shall equal five percent times the average wage of new employees times the number of new employees if the average wage of the new employees equals at least one hundred percent of the Nebraska average annual wage for the year of application. The credit shall equal six percent times the average wage of new employees times the number of new employees if the average wage of the new employees equals at least one hundred twenty-five percent of the Nebraska average annual wage for the year of application. For computation of such credit:

(a) Average annual wage means the total compensation paid to employees during the year at the project who are not base-year employees and who are paid wages equal to at least sixty percent of the Nebraska average weekly wage for the year of application, excluding any compensation in excess of one million dollars paid to any one employee during the year, divided by the number of equivalent employees making up such total compensation;

(b) Average wage of new employees means the average annual wage paid to employees during the year at the project who are not base-year employees and who are paid wages equal to at least sixty percent of the Nebraska average weekly wage for the year of application, excluding any compensation in excess of one million dollars paid to any one employee during the year; and

(c) Nebraska average annual wage means the Nebraska average weekly wage times fifty-two.

(5) Any taxpayer who qualifies for a tier 6 project shall be entitled to a credit equal to ten percent times the total compensation paid to all employees, other than base-year employees, excluding any compensation in excess of one million dollars paid to any one employee during the year, employed at the project.

(6) Any taxpayer who has met the required levels of employment and investment for a tier 2 or tier 4 project shall receive a credit equal to ten percent of the investment made in qualified property at the project. Any taxpayer who has met the required levels of investment and employment for a tier 1 project shall receive a credit equal to three percent of the investment made in qualified property at the project. Any taxpayer who has met the required levels of investment and employment for a tier 6 project shall receive a credit equal to fifteen percent of the investment made in qualified property at the project.

(7) The credits prescribed in subsections (4), (5), and (6) of this section shall be allowable for compensation paid and investments made during each year of the entitlement period that the taxpayer is at or above the required levels of employment and investment.

(8) The credit prescribed in subsection (6) of this section shall also be allowable during the first year of the entitlement period for investment in qualified property at the project after the date of the application and before the required levels of employment and investment were met.

(9)(a) Property described in subdivisions (9)(c)(i) through (v) of this section used in connection with a project or projects, whether purchased or leased, and placed in service by the taxpayer after the date the application was filed shall constitute separate classes of property and are eligible for exemption under the conditions and for the time periods provided in subdivision (9)(b) of this section.

(b)(i) A taxpayer who has met the required levels of employment and investment for a tier 4 project shall receive the exemption of property in subdivisions (9)(c)(ii), (iii), and (iv) of this section. A taxpayer who has met the required levels of employment and investment for a tier 6 project shall receive the exemption of property in subdivisions (9)(c)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section. Such property shall be eligible for the exemption from the first January 1 following the end of the year during which the required levels were exceeded through the ninth December 31 after the first year property included in subdivisions (9)(c)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section qualifies for the exemption.

(ii) A taxpayer who has filed an application that describes a tier 2 large data center project or a project under tier 4 or tier 6 shall receive the exemption of property in subdivision (9)(c)(i) of this section beginning with the first January 1 following the date the property was placed in service. The exemption shall continue through the end of the period property included in subdivisions (9)(c)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section qualifies for the exemption.

(iii) A taxpayer who has filed an application that describes a tier 2 large data center project or a tier 5 project that is sequential to a tier 2 large data center project for which the entitlement period has expired shall receive the exemption of all property in subdivision (9)(c) of this section beginning any January 1 after the date the property was placed in service. Such property shall be eligible for exemption from the tax on personal property from the January 1 preceding the first claim for exemption approved under this subdivision through the ninth December 31 after the year the first claim for exemption is approved.

(iv) A taxpayer who has a project for an Internet web portal or a data center and who has met the required levels of employment and investment for a tier 2 project or the required level of investment for a tier 5 project, taking into account only the employment and investment at the web portal or data center project, shall receive the exemption of property in subdivision (9)(c)(ii) of this section. Such property shall be eligible for the exemption from the first January 1 following the end of the year during which the required levels were exceeded through the ninth December 31 after the first year any property included in subdivisions (9)(c)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section qualifies for the exemption.

(v) Such investment and hiring of new employees shall be considered a required level of investment and employment for this subsection and for the recapture of benefits under this subsection only.

(c) The following property used in connection with such project or projects, whether purchased or leased, and placed in service by the taxpayer after the date the application was filed shall constitute separate classes of personal property:

(i) Turbine-powered aircraft, including turboprop, turbojet, and turbofan aircraft, except when any such aircraft is used for fundraising for or for the transportation of an elected official;

(ii) Computer systems, made up of equipment that is interconnected in order to enable the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, transmission, or reception of data involving computer software and hardware, used for business information processing which require environmental controls of temperature and power and which are capable of simultaneously supporting more than one transaction and more than one user. A computer system includes peripheral components which require environmental controls of temperature and power connected to such computer systems. Peripheral components shall be limited to additional memory units, tape drives, disk drives, power supplies, cooling units, data switches, and communication controllers;

(iii) Depreciable personal property used for a distribution facility, including, but not limited to, storage racks, conveyor mechanisms, forklifts, and other property used to store or move products;

(iv) Personal property which is business equipment located in a single project if the business equipment is involved directly in the manufacture or processing of agricultural products; and

(v) For a tier 2 large data center project or tier 6 project, any other personal property located at the project.

(d) In order to receive the property tax exemptions allowed by subdivision (9)(c) of this section, the taxpayer shall annually file a claim for exemption with the Tax Commissioner on or before May 1. The form and supporting schedules shall be prescribed by the Tax Commissioner and shall list all property for which exemption is being sought under this section. A separate claim for exemption must be filed for each project and each county in which property is claimed to be exempt. A copy of this form must also be filed with the county assessor in each county in which the applicant is requesting exemption. The Tax Commissioner shall determine whether a taxpayer is eligible to obtain exemption for personal property based on the criteria for exemption and the eligibility of each item listed for exemption and, on or before August 1, certify such to the taxpayer and to the affected county assessor.

(10)(a) The investment thresholds in this section for a particular year of application shall be adjusted by the method provided in this subsection, except that the investment threshold for a tier 5 project described in subdivision (1)(e)(ii) of this section shall not be adjusted.

(b) For tier 1, tier 2, tier 4, and tier 5 projects other than tier 5 projects described in subdivision (1)(e)(ii) of this section, beginning October 1, 2006, and each October 1 thereafter, the average Producer Price Index for all commodities, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the most recent twelve available periods shall be divided by the Producer Price Index for the first quarter of 2006 and the result multiplied by the applicable investment threshold. The investment thresholds shall be adjusted for cumulative inflation since 2006.

(c) For tier 6, beginning October 1, 2008, and each October 1 thereafter, the average Producer Price Index for all commodities, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the most recent twelve available periods shall be divided by the Producer Price Index for the first quarter of 2008 and the result multiplied by the applicable investment threshold. The investment thresholds shall be adjusted for cumulative inflation since 2008.

(d) For a tier 2 large data center project, beginning October 1, 2012, and each October 1 thereafter, the average Producer Price Index for all commodities, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the most recent twelve available periods shall be divided by the Producer Price Index for the first quarter of 2012 and the result multiplied by the applicable investment threshold. The investment thresholds shall be adjusted for cumulative inflation since 2012.

(e) If the resulting amount is not a multiple of one million dollars, the amount shall be rounded to the next lowest one million dollars.

(f) The investment thresholds established by this subsection apply for purposes of project qualifications for all applications filed on or after January 1 of the following year for all years of the project. Adjustments do not apply to projects after the year of application.