Senate Bill 2481

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-7-22.31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW A TAXPAYER TO ELECT A REBATE IN PLACE OF THE HISTORIC PROPERTY INCOME TAX CREDIT AT ANY TIME AFTER CERTIFICATION OF THE CREDIT; TO PROVIDE THAT, IF THE TAXPAYER HAS PREVIOUSLY UTILIZED A CREDIT ON THE INCOME TAX RETURN, THEN THE AVAILABLE REBATE WILL BE REDUCED BY THE AMOUNT OF CREDIT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 27-7-22.31, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

27-7-22.31. (1) As used in this section:

(a) "Certified historic structure" means a property located in Mississippi that has been:

(i) Listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places; or

(ii) Determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and will be listed within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section; or

(iii) Property designated a Mississippi Landmark by the Department of Archives and History pursuant to Section 39-7-3 et seq.

(b) "Eligible property" means property located in Mississippi and offered or used for residential or business purposes.

(c) "Structure in a certified historic district" means a structure (and its structural components) located in Mississippi which:

(i) Is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; or

(ii) Has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and will be listed within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section; or

(iii) Is located in a registered historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places or located in a potential district that has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and will be listed within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section, and is certified by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior as being of historic significance to the district; or

(iv) Is certified by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as contributing to the historic significance of:

1. A certified historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places; or

2. A potential district that has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and will be listed within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section; or

3. A local district that has been certified by the United States Department of the Interior.

(d) "Department" means the Department of Archives and History.

(2) Any taxpayer incurring costs and expenses for the rehabilitation of eligible property, which is a certified historic structure or a structure in a certified historic district, shall be entitled to a rebate or credit against the taxes imposed pursuant to this chapter in an amount equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total costs and expenses of rehabilitation incurred after January 1, 2006, which shall include, but not be limited to, qualified rehabilitation expenditures as defined under Section 47(c)(2)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the related regulations thereunder:

(a) If the costs and expenses associated with rehabilitation exceed:

(i) Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in the case of an owner-occupied dwelling; or

(ii) Fifty percent (50%) of the adjusted basis in the property in the case of all other properties; and

(b) The rehabilitation is consistent with the standards of the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior as determined by the department.

(3) Any taxpayer eligible for the rebate or credit authorized by this section may claim the rebate or credit in phases if:

(a) There is a written set of architectural plans and specifications for all phases of the rehabilitation (written plans outlining and describing all phases of the rehabilitation shall be accepted as written plans and specifications);

(b) The written set of architectural plans and specifications are completed before the physical work on the rehabilitation begins; and

(c) The project receives final certification by the department within sixty (60) months of the project start date certified in the first phase.

(4) (a) (i) If the amount of the tax credit established by this section exceeds the total state income tax liability for the credit year, the amount that exceeds the total state income tax liability may be carried forward for the ten (10) succeeding tax years.

(ii) In lieu of claiming a tax credit, the taxpayer may elect to claim a rebate in the amount of seventy-five percent (75%) of the amount that would be eligible to claim as a credit. * * * The election may be made at any time after the certification. If the taxpayer has previously utilized a credit on the income tax return, then the available rebate will be reduced by the amount of credit.

(iii) Rebate requests shall be submitted to the department on forms prescribed by the department. The department will then provide the taxpayer with a voucher for the approved amount. Within twelve (12) months of the issuance of the voucher by the department, the taxpayer may submit the voucher to the Department of Revenue to receive payment. Rebates shall be made from current tax collections.

(b) Not-for-profit entities, including, but not limited to, nonprofit corporations organized under Section 79-11-101 et seq., shall be ineligible for the rebate or credit authorized by this section. Credits granted to a partnership, a limited liability company taxed as a partnership or multiple owners of property shall be passed through to the partners, members or owners on a pro rata basis or pursuant to an executed agreement among the partners, members or owners documenting an alternative distribution method. Partners, members or other owners of a pass-through entity are not eligible to elect a refund of excess credit in lieu of a carryforward of the credit. However, a partnership or limited liability company taxed as a partnership may elect to claim a rebate at the entity level on a form prescribed by the department. Additionally, excess tax credits that are attributable to rehabilitated property that was placed in service by a pass-through entity prior to January 1, 2011, and that have previously been allocated to and are held by another pass-through entity prior to January 1, 2011, may be refunded to such other pass-through entity.

(5) (a) (i) To claim the rebate or credit authorized pursuant to this section, the taxpayer shall apply to the department which shall determine the amount of eligible rehabilitation costs and expenses and whether the rehabilitation is consistent with the standards of the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior. The department shall issue a certificate evidencing the date of the rebate or credit and amount of eligible rebate or credit if the taxpayer is found to be eligible for the tax rebate or credit. The taxpayer shall attach the certificate to all income tax returns on which the credit is claimed. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (a), the department shall not issue certificates evidencing the eligible rebate or credit which will result in rebates or credits being awarded in excess of Twelve Million Dollars ($12,000,000.00) in any one (1) calendar year for projects with total qualified rehabilitation costs and expenses of One Million Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($1,750,000.00) or more. The department shall also not issue certificates evidencing the eligible rebate or credit which will result in rebates or credits being awarded in excess of Twelve Million Dollars ($12,000,000.00) in any one (1) calendar year for projects with total qualified rehabilitation costs and expenses of less than One Million Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($1,750,000.00).

(ii) If claiming a credit instead of a rebate, the taxpayer shall claim such credit on the income tax return for the tax year for which the credit is certified.

(b) The date of the rebate or credit shall be certified in the following order:

(i) The rebate or credit shall be certified based on the date of project completion.

(ii) If the eligible rebate or credit exceeds the available limit in the year in which the project is completed, the rebate or credit shall be certified based on the date the certification is issued by the department. The department shall issue the certification in the first calendar year in which the requested rebate or credit would not exceed the calendar year limit.

(c) The aggregate amount of tax rebates or credits that may be awarded under this section shall not exceed One Hundred Eighty Million Dollars ($180,000,000.00).

(6) (a) The rebate or credit received by a taxpayer pursuant to this section is subject to recapture if:

(i) The property is one that has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places but is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section;

(ii) The potential district in which the property is located is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places within thirty (30) months of claiming the rebate or credit authorized by this section; or

(iii) The project has not received final certification by the department within sixty (60) months of the project start date certified in the first phase.

(b) The taxpayer shall notify the department and the Department of Revenue if any of the situations that subject the credit to recapture occur.

(7) (a) The board of trustees of the department shall establish fees to be charged for the services performed by the department under this section and shall publish the fee schedule. The fees contained in the schedule shall be in amounts reasonably calculated to recover the costs incurred by the department for the administration of this section. Any taxpayer desiring to participate in the tax credits authorized by this section shall pay the appropriate fee as contained in the fee schedule to the department, which shall be used by the department, without appropriation, to offset the administrative costs of the department associated with its duties under this section.

(b) There is hereby created within the State Treasury a special fund into which shall be deposited all the fees collected by the department pursuant to this section. Money deposited into the fund shall not lapse at the end of any fiscal year and investment earnings on the proceeds in such special fund shall be deposited into such fund. Money from the fund shall be disbursed upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer upon requisitions signed by the executive director of the department to assist the department in carrying out its duties under this section.

(8) This section shall only apply to taxpayers:

(a) Who have been issued a certificate evidencing the eligible credit before December 31, 2030; or

(b) Who, before December 31, 2030, have received a determination in writing from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, in accordance with the department's Historic Preservation Certificate Application, Part 2, that the rehabilitation is consistent with the historic character of the property and that the property meets the United States Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, or will meet the standards if certain specified conditions are met, and, who are issued a certificate evidencing the eligible credit on or after December 31, 2030.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.