23634
. (a) For each taxable year beginning on or after January 1,
1998, there shall be allowed a credit against the "tax" (as defined
by Section 23036) to a qualified taxpayer who employs a qualified
employee in a targeted tax area during the taxable year. The credit
shall be equal to the sum of each of the following:
(1) Fifty percent of qualified wages in the first year of
employment.
(2) Forty percent of qualified wages in the second year of
employment.
(3) Thirty percent of qualified wages in the third year of
employment.
(4) Twenty percent of qualified wages in the fourth year of
employment.
(5) Ten percent of qualified wages in the fifth year of
employment.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Qualified wages" means:
(A) That portion of wages paid or incurred by the qualified
taxpayer during the taxable year to qualified employees that does not
exceed 150 percent of the minimum wage.
(B) Wages received during the 60-month period beginning with the
first day the employee commences employment with the qualified
taxpayer. Reemployment in connection with any increase, including a
regularly occurring seasonal increase, in the trade or business
operations of the qualified taxpayer does not constitute commencement
of employment for purposes of this section.
(C) Qualified wages do not include any wages paid or incurred by
the qualified taxpayer on or after the targeted tax area expiration
date. However, wages paid or incurred with respect to qualified
employees who are employed by the qualified taxpayer within the
targeted tax area within the 60-month period prior to the targeted
tax area expiration date shall continue to qualify for the credit
under this section after the targeted tax area expiration date, in
accordance with all provisions of this section applied as if the
targeted tax area designation were still in existence and binding.
(2) "Minimum wage" means the wage established by the Industrial
Welfare Commission as provided for in Chapter 1 (commencing with
Section 1171) of Part 4 of Division 2 of the Labor Code.
(3) "Targeted tax area expiration date" means the date the
targeted tax area designation expires, is revoked, is no longer
binding, becomes inoperative, or is repealed.
(4) (A) "Qualified employee" means an individual who meets all of
the following requirements:
(i) At least 90 percent of his or her services for the qualified
taxpayer during the taxable year are directly related to the conduct
of the qualified taxpayer's trade or business located in a targeted
tax area.
(ii) Performs at least 50 percent of his or her services for the
qualified taxpayer during the taxable year in a targeted tax area.
(iii) Is hired by the qualified taxpayer after the date of
original designation of the area in which services were performed as
a targeted tax area.
(iv) Is any of the following:
(I) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement of
employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a person eligible for
services under the federal Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C.
Sec. 1501 et seq.), or its successor, who is receiving, or is
eligible to receive, subsidized employment, training, or services
funded by the federal Job Training Partnership Act, or its successor.
(II) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a person eligible to
be a voluntary or mandatory registrant under the Greater Avenues for
Independence Act of 1985 (GAIN) provided for pursuant to Article 3.2
(commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9
of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or its successor.
(III) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was an economically
disadvantaged individual 14 years of age or older.
(IV) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a dislocated worker
who meets any of the following:
(ia) Has been terminated or laid off or who has received a notice
of termination or layoff from employment, is eligible for or has
exhausted entitlement to unemployment insurance benefits, and is
unlikely to return to his or her previous industry or occupation.
(ib) Has been terminated or has received a notice of termination
of employment as a result of any permanent closure or any substantial
layoff at a plant, facility, or enterprise, including an individual
who has not received written notification but whose employer has made
a public announcement of the closure or layoff.
(ic) Is long-term unemployed and has limited opportunities for
employment or reemployment in the same or a similar occupation in the
area in which the individual resides, including an individual 55
years of age or older who may have substantial barriers to employment
by reason of age.
(id) Was self-employed (including farmers and ranchers) and is
unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the
community in which he or she resides or because of natural disasters.
(ie) Was a civilian employee of the Department of Defense employed
at a military installation being closed or realigned under the
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990.
(if) Was an active member of the Armed Forces or National Guard as
of September 30, 1990, and was either involuntarily separated or
separated pursuant to a special benefits program.
(ig) Is a seasonal or migrant worker who experiences chronic
seasonal unemployment and underemployment in the agriculture
industry, aggravated by continual advancements in technology and
mechanization.
(ih) Has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of
termination or layoff, as a consequence of compliance with the Clean
Air Act.
(V) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement of
employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a disabled individual
who is eligible for or enrolled in, or has completed a state
rehabilitation plan or is a service-connected disabled veteran,
veteran of the Vietnam era, or veteran who is recently separated from
military service.
(VI) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was an ex-offender. An
individual shall be treated as convicted if he or she was placed on
probation by a state court without a finding of guilt.
(VII) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a person eligible for
or a recipient of any of the following:
(ia) Federal Supplemental Security Income benefits.
(ib) Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
(ic) CalFresh benefits.
(id) State and local general assistance.
(VIII) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a member of a
federally recognized Indian tribe, band, or other group of Native
American descent.
(IX) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, was a resident of a
targeted tax area.
(X) Immediately preceding the qualified employee's commencement of
employment with the taxpayer, was a member of a targeted group, as
defined in Section 51(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, or its
successor.
(B) Priority for employment shall be provided to an individual who
is enrolled in a qualified program under the federal Job Training
Partnership Act or the Greater Avenues for Independence Act of 1985
or who is eligible as a member of a targeted group under the Work
Opportunity Tax Credit (Section 51 of the Internal Revenue Code), or
its successor.
(5) (A) "Qualified taxpayer" means a person or entity that meets
both of the following:
(i) Is engaged in a trade or business within a targeted tax area
designated pursuant to Chapter 12.93 (commencing with Section 7097)
of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(ii) Is engaged in those lines of business described in Codes 2000
to 2099, inclusive; 2200 to 3999, inclusive; 4200 to 4299,
inclusive; 4500 to 4599, inclusive; and 4700 to 5199, inclusive, of
the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual published by the
United States Office of Management and Budget, 1987 edition.
(B) In the case of any passthrough entity, the determination of
whether a taxpayer is a qualified taxpayer under this section shall
be made at the entity level and any credit under this section or
Section 17053.34 shall be allowed to the passthrough entity and
passed through to the partners or shareholders in accordance with
applicable provisions of this part or Part 10 (commencing with
Section 17001). For purposes of this subparagraph, the term
"passthrough entity" means any partnership or S corporation.
(6) "Seasonal employment" means employment by a qualified taxpayer
that has regular and predictable substantial reductions in trade or
business operations.
(c) If the qualified taxpayer is allowed a credit for qualified
wages pursuant to this section, only one credit shall be allowed to
the taxpayer under this part with respect to those qualified wages.
(d) The qualified taxpayer shall do both of the following:
(1) Obtain from the Employment Development Department, as
permitted by federal law, the local county or city Job Training
Partnership Act administrative entity, the local county GAIN office
or social services agency, or the local government administering the
targeted tax area, a certification that provides that a qualified
employee meets the eligibility requirements specified in clause (iv)
of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). The
Employment Development Department may provide preliminary screening
and referral to a certifying agency. The Department of Housing and
Community Development shall develop regulations for the issuance of
certificates pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 7097 of the
Government Code, and shall develop forms for this purpose.
(2) Retain a copy of the certification and provide it upon request
to the Franchise Tax Board.
(e) (1) For purposes of this section:
(A) All employees of all corporations that are members of the same
controlled group of corporations shall be treated as employed by a
single taxpayer.
(B) The credit, if any, allowable by this section to each member
shall be determined by reference to its proportionate share of the
expense of the qualified wages giving rise to the credit, and shall
be allocated in that manner.
(C) For purposes of this subdivision, "controlled group of
corporations" means "controlled group of corporations" as defined in
Section 1563(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, except that:
(i) "More than 50 percent" shall be substituted for "at least 80
percent" each place it appears in Section 1563(a)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(ii) The determination shall be made without regard to subsections
(a)(4) and (e)(3)(C) of Section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(2) If an employer acquires the major portion of a trade or
business of another employer (hereinafter in this paragraph referred
to as the "predecessor") or the major portion of a separate unit of a
trade or business of a predecessor, then, for purposes of applying
this section (other than subdivision (f)) for any calendar year
ending after that acquisition, the employment relationship between a
qualified employee and an employer shall not be treated as terminated
if the employee continues to be employed in that trade or business.
(f) (1) (A) If the employment, other than seasonal employment, of
any qualified employee with respect to whom qualified wages are taken
into account under subdivision (a) is terminated by the qualified
taxpayer at any time during the first 270 days of that employment
(whether or not consecutive) or before the close of the 270th
calendar day after the day in which that employee completes 90 days
of employment with the qualified taxpayer, the tax imposed by this
part for the taxable year in which that employment is terminated
shall be increased by an amount equal to the credit allowed under
subdivision (a) for that taxable year and all prior taxable years
attributable to qualified wages paid or incurred with respect to that
employee.
(B) If the seasonal employment of any qualified employee, with
respect to whom qualified wages are taken into account under
subdivision (a) is not continued by the qualified taxpayer for a
period of 270 days of employment during the 60-month period beginning
with the day the qualified employee commences seasonal employment
with the qualified taxpayer, the tax imposed by this part, for the
taxable year that includes the 60th month following the month in
which the qualified employee commences seasonal employment with the
qualified taxpayer, shall be increased by an amount equal to the
credit allowed under subdivision (a) for that taxable year and all
prior taxable years attributable to qualified wages paid or incurred
with respect to that qualified employee.
(2) (A) Subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) does not apply to any of
the following:
(i) A termination of employment of a qualified employee who
voluntarily leaves the employment of the qualified taxpayer.
(ii) A termination of employment of a qualified employee who,
before the close of the period referred to in subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1), becomes disabled and unable to perform the services of
that employment, unless that disability is removed before the close
of that period and the qualified taxpayer fails to offer reemployment
to that employee.
(iii) A termination of employment of a qualified employee, if it
is determined that the termination was due to the misconduct (as
defined in Sections 1256-30 to 1256-43, inclusive, of Title 22 of the
California Code of Regulations) of that employee.
(iv) A termination of employment of a qualified employee due to a
substantial reduction in the trade or business operations of the
taxpayer.
(v) A termination of employment of a qualified employee, if that
employee is replaced by other qualified employees so as to create a
net increase in both the number of employees and the hours of
employment.
(B) Subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) does not apply to any of the
following:
(i) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified
employee who voluntarily fails to return to the seasonal employment
of the qualified taxpayer.
(ii) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified
employee who, before the close of the period referred to in
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), becomes disabled and unable to
perform the services of that seasonal employment, unless that
disability is removed before the close of that period and the
qualified taxpayer fails to offer seasonal employment to that
qualified employee.
(iii) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified
employee, if it is determined that the failure to continue the
seasonal employment was due to the misconduct (as defined in Sections
1256-30 to 1256-43, inclusive, of Title 22 of the California Code of
Regulations) of that qualified employee.
(iv) A failure to continue seasonal employment of a qualified
employee due to a substantial reduction in the regular seasonal trade
or business operations of the qualified taxpayer.
(v) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified
employee, if that qualified employee is replaced by other qualified
employees so as to create a net increase in both the number of
seasonal employees and the hours of seasonal employment.
(C) For purposes of paragraph (1), the employment relationship
between the qualified taxpayer and a qualified employee shall not be
treated as terminated by either of the following:
(i) By a transaction to which Section 381(a) of the Internal
Revenue Code applies, if the qualified employee continues to be
employed by the acquiring corporation.
(ii) By reason of a mere change in the form of conducting the
trade or business of the qualified taxpayer, if the qualified
employee continues to be employed in that trade or business and the
qualified taxpayer retains a substantial interest in that trade or
business.
(3) An increase in tax under paragraph (1) shall not be treated as
tax imposed by this part for purposes of determining the amount of
any credit allowable under this part.
(g) Rules similar to the rules provided in Sections 46(e) and (h)
of the Internal Revenue Code apply to both of the following:
(1) An organization to which Section 593 of the Internal Revenue
Code applies.
(2) A regulated investment company or a real estate investment
trust subject to taxation under this part.
(h) For purposes of this section, "targeted tax area" means an
area designated pursuant to Chapter 12.93 (commencing with Section
7097) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(i) In the case in which the credit otherwise allowed under this
section exceeds the "tax" for the taxable year, that portion of the
credit that exceeds the "tax" may be carried over and added to the
credit, if any, in the succeeding 10 taxable years, if necessary,
until the credit is exhausted. The credit shall be applied first to
the earliest taxable years possible.
(j) (1) The amount of the credit otherwise allowed under this
section and Section 23633, including any credit carryover from prior
years, that may reduce the "tax" for the taxable year shall not
exceed the amount of tax that would be imposed on the qualified
taxpayer's business income attributable to the targeted tax area
determined as if that attributable income represented all of the
income of the qualified taxpayer subject to tax under this part.
(2) Attributable income shall be that portion of the taxpayer's
California source business income that is apportioned to the targeted
tax area. For that purpose, the taxpayer's business income
attributable to sources in this state first shall be determined in
accordance with Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 25101). That
business income shall be further apportioned to the targeted tax area
in accordance with Article 2 (commencing with Section 25120) of
Chapter 17, modified for purposes of this section in accordance with
paragraph (3).
(3) Business income shall be apportioned to the targeted tax area
by multiplying the total California business income of the taxpayer
by a fraction, the numerator of which is the property factor plus the
payroll factor, and the denominator of which is two. For purposes of
this paragraph:
(A) The property factor is a fraction, the numerator of which is
the average value of the taxpayer's real and tangible personal
property owned or rented and used in the targeted tax area during the
taxable year, and the denominator of which is the average value of
all the taxpayer's real and tangible personal property owned or
rented and used in this state during the taxable year.
(B) The payroll factor is a fraction, the numerator of which is
the total amount paid by the taxpayer in the targeted tax area during
the taxable year for compensation, and the denominator of which is
the total compensation paid by the taxpayer in this state during the
taxable year.
(4) The portion of any credit remaining, if any, after application
of this subdivision, shall be carried over to succeeding taxable
years, if necessary, until the credit is exhausted, as if it were an
amount exceeding the "tax" for the taxable year, as provided in
subdivision (i). However, the portion of any credit remaining for
carryover to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, if
any, after application of this subdivision, shall be carried over
only to the succeeding 10 taxable years if necessary, until the
credit is exhausted, as if it were an amount exceeding the "tax" for
the taxable year, as provided in subdivision (i).
(5) In the event that a credit carryover is allowable under
subdivision (h) for any taxable year after the targeted tax area
designation has expired or been revoked, the targeted tax area shall
be deemed to remain in existence for purposes of computing the
limitation specified in this subdivision.
(k) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section shall
cease to be operative for taxable years beginning on or after January
1, 2014, and shall be repealed on December 1, 2019.
(2) The section shall continue to apply with respect to qualified
employees who are employed by the qualified taxpayer within the
targeted tax area within the 60-month period immediately preceding
January 1, 2014, and qualified wages paid or incurred with respect to
those qualified employees shall continue to qualify for the credit
under this section for taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2014, in accordance with this section, as amended by the act adding
this subdivision.