§ 135.535 RSMo — Tax credit for relocating a business to a distressed community, approval by department of economic development, application — employees eligible to receive credit — credit for expenditures on equipment — transfer of certificate of credit — maximum amount allowed, credit carried over — limitations — tax credit for existing business in a distressed community which hires new employees, conditions and types of businesses eligible

1. A corporation, limited liability corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship, which moves its operations from outside Missouri or outside a distressed community into a distressed community, or which commences operations in a distressed community on or after January 1, 1999, and in either case has more than seventy-five percent of its employees at the facility in the distressed community, and which has fewer than one hundred employees for whom payroll taxes are paid, and which is a manufacturing, biomedical, medical devices, scientific research, animal research, computer software design or development, computer programming, including internet, web hosting, and other information technology, wireless or wired or other telecommunications or a professional firm shall receive a forty percent credit against income taxes owed pursuant to chapter 143 , 147 or 148 , other than taxes withheld pursuant to sections 143.191 to 143.265 , for each of the three years after such move, if approved by the department of economic development, which shall issue a certificate of eligibility if the department determines that the taxpayer is eligible for such credit. The maximum amount of credits per taxpayer set forth in this subsection shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for each of the three years for which the credit is claimed. The department of economic development, by means of rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to the provisions of chapter 536 , shall assign appropriate North American Industry Classification System numbers to the companies which are eligible for the tax credits provided for in this section. Such three-year credits shall be awarded only one time to any company which moves its operations from outside of Missouri or outside of a distressed community into a distressed community or to a company which commences operations within a distressed community. A taxpayer shall file an application for certification of the tax credits for the first year in which credits are claimed and for each of the two succeeding taxable years for which credits are claimed.

2. Employees of such facilities physically working and earning wages for that work within a distressed community whose employers have been approved for tax credits pursuant to subsection 1 of this section by the department of economic development for whom payroll taxes are paid shall also be eligible to receive a tax credit against individual income tax, imposed pursuant to chapter 143 , equal to one and one-half percent of their gross salary paid at such facility earned for each of the three years that the facility receives the tax credit provided by this section, so long as they were qualified employees of such entity. The employer shall calculate the amount of such credit and shall report the amount to the employee and the department of revenue.

3. A tax credit against income taxes owed pursuant to chapter 143 , 147 or 148 , other than the taxes withheld pursuant to sections 143.191 to 143.265 , in lieu of the credit against income taxes as provided in subsection 1 of this section, may be taken by such an entity in a distressed community in an amount of forty percent of the amount of funds expended for computer equipment and its maintenance, medical laboratories and equipment, research laboratory equipment, manufacturing equipment, fiber optic equipment, high speed telecommunications, wiring or software development expense up to a maximum of seventy-five thousand dollars in tax credits for such equipment or expense per year per entity and for each of three years after commencement in or moving operations into a distressed community.

4. A corporation, partnership or sole partnership, which has no more than one hundred employees for whom payroll taxes are paid, which is already located in a distressed community and which expends funds for such equipment pursuant to subsection 3 of this section in an amount exceeding its average of the prior two years for such equipment, shall be eligible to receive a tax credit against income taxes owed pursuant to chapters 143 , 147 and 148 in an amount equal to the lesser of seventy-five thousand dollars or twenty-five percent of the funds expended for such additional equipment per such entity. Tax credits allowed pursuant to this subsection or subsection 1 of this section may be carried back to any of the three prior tax years and carried forward to any of the next five tax years.

5. An existing corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship that is located within a distressed community and that relocates employees from another facility outside of the distressed community to its facility within the distressed community, and an existing business located within a distressed community that hires new employees for that facility may both be eligible for the tax credits allowed by subsections 1 and 3 of this section. To be eligible for such tax credits, such a business, during one of its tax years, shall employ within a distressed community at least twice as many employees as were employed at the beginning of that tax year. A business hiring employees shall have no more than one hundred employees before the addition of the new employees. This subsection shall only apply to a business which is a manufacturing, biomedical, medical devices, scientific research, animal research, computer software design or development, computer programming or telecommunications business, or a professional firm.

6. Tax credits shall be approved for applicants meeting the requirements of this section in the order that such applications are received. Certificates of tax credits issued in accordance with this section may be transferred, sold or assigned by notarized endorsement which names the transferee.

7. The tax credits allowed pursuant to subsections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this section shall be for an amount of no more than ten million dollars for each year beginning in 1999. The total maximum credit for all entities already located in distressed communities and claiming credits pursuant to subsection 4 of this section shall be seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The department of economic development in approving taxpayers for the credit as provided for in subsection 6 of this section shall use information provided by the department of revenue regarding taxes paid in the previous year, or projected taxes for those entities newly established in the state, as the method of determining when this maximum will be reached and shall maintain a record of the order of approval. Any tax credit not used in the period for which the credit was approved may be carried over until the full credit has been allowed.

8. A Missouri employer relocating into a distressed community and having employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement at the facility from which it is relocating shall not be eligible for the credits in subsection 1, 3, 4 or 5 of this section, and its employees shall not be eligible for the credit in subsection 2 of this section if the relocation violates or terminates a collective bargaining agreement covering employees at the facility, unless the affected collective bargaining unit concurs with the move.

9. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no taxpayer shall earn the tax credits allowed in this section and the tax credits otherwise allowed in section 135.110 , or the tax credits, exemptions, and refund otherwise allowed in sections 135.200 , 135.220 , 135.225 and 135.245 , respectively, for the same business for the same tax period.