Wis. Admin. Code § Tax 2.48 — Apportionment of apportionable income of interstate pipeline companies

Tax 2.48(1) (1) General. With respect to the imposition of Wisconsin franchise or income tax measured by or on net income, the apportionable income of a pipeline company engaged in business in and outside this state shall be apportioned to Wisconsin on the basis of the arithmetical average of the 3 factors in subs. (3) , (4) and (5) , except if the pipeline company is in a combined group, its Wisconsin share of the combined group’s apportionable income is computed as provided in s. 71.255 (5) , Stats., and further detailed in s. Tax 2.61 (7) .

Tax 2.48(2) (2) Definitions. In this section:

Tax 2.48(2)(a) (a) “Compensation” includes:

Tax 2.48(2)(a)1. 1. Wages, salaries, commissions and any other form of remuneration paid to employees for personal services.

Tax 2.48(2)(a)2. 2. The value of board, rent, housing, lodging and other benefits or services furnished to employees by the taxpayer in return for personal services, provided that these amounts constitute income to the recipient under the federal Internal Revenue Code for the year for which the payroll factor is computed. In the case of employees not subject to the federal Internal Revenue Code, such as citizens of foreign countries employed in foreign countries, the determination of whether the benefits or services constitute income to the employees shall be made as though the employees are subject to the federal Internal Revenue Code.

Tax 2.48(2)(a)3. 3. Deductible management or service fees paid, or management or service fees allocated by the department under s. 71.10 (1) , 71.30 (2) or 71.80 (1) (b) , Stats., to a related corporation, as defined in section 267 (f) (1) of the Internal Revenue Code, as consideration for the performance of personal services. The recipient of these fees may not include the compensation paid to its employees with respect to the personal services in either the numerator or denominator of its payroll factor.

Tax 2.48(2)(am) (am) “Engaged in business in and outside this state” has the same meaning as in s. Tax 2.39 (2) (b) .

Tax 2.48(2)(b) (b) “Traffic unit” means the transportation for a distance of one mile of one barrel of oil, one gallon of gasoline or one thousand cubic feet of natural or casinghead gas, or other appropriate measure of product.

Tax 2.48(3) (3) Property factor.

Tax 2.48(3)(a) (a) Numerator; denominator. The numerator of the property factor shall include the average value of the real and tangible personal property owned and used by the taxpayer in Wisconsin in the production of apportionable income during the tax period. The denominator shall include average value of all of the real and tangible personal property located everywhere owned and used by the taxpayer in the production of apportionable income during the tax period. Property in transit on the date or dates for determining its average value, as described in par. (e) , shall be considered to be at its destination, for purposes of computing the property factor. The value of mobile or movable property such as construction equipment, trucks or airplanes which is located within and without Wisconsin during the tax period shall be determined for purposes of the numerator of the factor on the basis of a ratio of time used, serviced or stored within Wisconsin to total time used, serviced or stored during the tax period. However, an automobile assigned to a traveling employee shall be included in the numerator of the factor if the employee’s compensation is assigned to Wisconsin under the payroll factor.

Tax 2.48(3)(b) (b) Valuation. Property owned by the taxpayer is generally valued at its cost net of depreciation and write-offs as determined for Wisconsin franchise or income tax purposes. Any adjustments to net income which affect property, such as capitalizations of repairs, depreciation or amortization adjustments and adjustments to inventory, shall also be included in the property factor. The value of depletable property, such as mines, oil and gas wells and timber, shall be original cost reduced by any extraction to the extent that depletion has been allowed. Inventories shall be included in the factor in accordance with the valuation method used for Wisconsin franchise or income tax purposes. In any case in which the property factor is distorted by reason of the taxpayer depreciating property in Wisconsin by a method different from that used to depreciate property outside Wisconsin, or in any case in which the Wisconsin net cost cannot be ascertained, the department shall authorize or direct some other method of determining the property fraction that will produce an equitable result.

Tax 2.48(3)(c) (c) Leasehold improvements. Leasehold improvements shall, for purposes of the property factor, be treated as property owned by the taxpayer regardless of whether the taxpayer is entitled to remove the improvements or the improvements revert to the lessor upon expiration of the lease. The original cost of leasehold improvements net of amortization shall be included in the factor.

Tax 2.48(3)(d) (d) Construction in progress. Property or equipment under construction during the tax period, except inventoriable goods in process, shall be excluded from the factor until the property is actually used by the taxpayer in the regular course of its trade or business. If the property is partially used by the taxpayer in the regular course of its trade or business while under construction, the value of the property to the extent used shall be included in the property factor.

Tax 2.48(3)(e) (e) Averaging property values. As a general rule the “average value” of property shall be determined by averaging the value at the beginning and ending of the tax period, but the department may require or the taxpayer may utilize the averaging of monthly values during the tax period if monthly averaging is reasonably required to properly reflect the average value of the taxpayer’s property. Averaging by monthly values will generally be applied if substantial fluctuations in the values of the property exist during the tax period, or where property is acquired after the beginning of the tax period or disposed of before the end of the tax period.

Tax 2.48(4) (4) Payroll factor.

Tax 2.48(4)(a) (a) Numerator; denominator. The numerator of the payroll factor shall include the total amount paid in Wisconsin during the tax period by the taxpayer for compensation in the production of apportionable income. The denominator shall include the total compensation paid everywhere during the tax period by the taxpayer in the production of apportionable income.

Tax 2.48(4)(b) (b) Compensation paid in Wisconsin. Except as provided in par. (c) , compensation is paid in Wisconsin if one of the following applies:

Tax 2.48(4)(b)1. 1. The individual’s service is performed entirely within Wisconsin.

Tax 2.48(4)(b)2. 2. The individual’s service is performed within and without Wisconsin, but the service performed without Wisconsin is incidental to the individual’s service within Wisconsin.

Tax 2.48(4)(b)3. 3. A portion of the service is performed within Wisconsin and the base of operations of the individual is in Wisconsin.

Tax 2.48(4)(b)4. 4. A portion of the service is performed within Wisconsin and, if there is no base of operations, the place from which the individual’s service is directed or controlled is in Wisconsin.

Tax 2.48(4)(b)5. 5. A portion of the service is performed within Wisconsin and neither the base of operations of the individual nor the place from which the service is directed or controlled is in any state in which some part of the service is performed, but the individual’s residence is in Wisconsin.

Tax 2.48(4)(b)6. 6. The individual is neither a resident of nor performs services in Wisconsin, but is directed or controlled from an office in Wisconsin and returns to Wisconsin periodically for business purposes and the state in which the individual resides does not have jurisdiction to impose income or franchise taxes on the employer.

Tax 2.48(4)(c) (c) Management fee situs. The situs of management or service fees described in sub. (2) (a) 3. is in Wisconsin to the extent the related corporation’s employees performing the services meet one of the requirements in par. (b) .

Tax 2.48(4)(d) (d) Services. An individual shall be considered to be performing a service in Wisconsin during the year if the individual performs services for at least 5 days during the year. The compensation of any one employee may not be split between 2 or more states during the year; however, this does not apply if the employee is transferred or changes positions during the year.

Tax 2.48(4)(e) (e) Excluded compensation. Compensation related to the operation, maintenance, protection or supervision of real or tangible and intangible personal property used in the production of nonapportionable income, and amounts paid to retired employees shall be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator of the payroll factor. Except for management or service fees paid to a related corporation, payments made to an independent contractor or any other person not properly classifiable as an employee are also excluded.

Tax 2.48(4)(f) (f) Elimination of factor. In any case in which the company has no employees nor pays management or service fees to a related corporation, or in which the department determines that employees are not a substantial income producing factor, the department may order or permit the elimination of the payroll factor and the use of the arithmetical average of the other 2 factors to arrive at the Wisconsin apportionment percentage.

Tax 2.48(5) (5) Traffic unit factor. The numerator shall be the total number of traffic units in Wisconsin during the tax period. The denominator shall be the total number of traffic units everywhere during the tax period.