Report Title:

Tax Credit; Federally Qualified Health Centers

 

Description:

Provides a tax credit for improvements made to federally qualified health centers. (SD2)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2985

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO QUALIFIED IMPROVEMENT TAX CREDIT.

 

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds and declares that it is in the public interest to encourage the development of health care in the State.

Hawaii's federally qualified health centers, which are all not-for-profit Hawaii corporations, are in various stages of developing and improving their health care facilities. A new federally mandated Medicaid Prospective Payment System began on January 1, 2001, for federally qualified health centers that has effectively eliminated a mechanism for federally qualified health centers to recoup costs associated with future capital improvements, thus severely limiting the ability of health centers to serve the public.

The legislature further finds that federally qualified health centers are "safety net" primary health service providers serving predominantly uninsured, poor and indigent people of Hawaii regardless of their ability to pay. Funding or financing capital improvement is one of the critical elements that fosters the growth of federally qualified health centers and that contributes to Hawaii's economy. Federally qualified health centers are not only susceptible to low compensation, increasing operating costs for uninsured patients, and increasing government regulation, but are also affected by poor access to capital markets. Loans to not-for-profit federally qualified health centers pose higher risks in comparison to conventional commercial lending.

The purpose of this Act is to provide a tax credit for qualified improvements made to federally qualified health centers.

SECTION 2. Chapter 235, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§235-   Qualified improvement tax credit. (a) Whenever used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Construction costs" means any costs related to construction, including labor and materials, planning, design, site work and other infrastructure costs, as well as indirect costs such as impact and license fees.

"Equipment" means any tangible or intangible item that has a useful life of more than one year and costs more than $5,000.

"Federally qualified health center" means an entity that has entered into an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly known as Health Care Financing Administration, to meet Medicare program requirements under title 42 Code of Federal Regulations section 405.2434 and is receiving a grant under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, or is receiving funding from the recipient of a grant under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.

"Net income tax liability" means income tax liability reduced by all other allowed credits, as determined under chapter 235.

"Qualified facility" means any land, buildings, or equipment:

(1) Owned or leased by a federally qualified health center; or

(2) On property not so owned or leased, but the primary purpose of which is for commercial use to support or service a federally qualified health center.

"Qualified improvement costs" means any construction costs and equipment of a permanent nature related to a qualified facility.

"Taxpayer" means any person who owns a qualified facility.

(b) There shall be allowed to each taxpayer, subject to the taxes imposed by this chapter, a qualified improvement tax credit, which shall be available to reduce the taxpayer's net income tax liability.

(c) The total amount of the qualified improvement tax credit shall be determined by applying a credit of fifty per cent to the qualified improvement costs incurred by the taxpayer in the taxable year or incurred by the taxpayer in the taxable year and the two preceding taxable years after December 31, 2001, if three years' cumulative amount of qualified improvement costs is to be applied. The credit may be claimed for qualified improvement costs to a federally qualified health center facility totaling:

(1) $300,000 or more in one taxable year; or

(2) $1,000,000 or more over a three-taxable-year period; provided that the total amount of qualified improvement costs shall be reduced by any qualified improvement costs for which the qualified improvement tax credit was claimed for any of the three taxable years.

(d) If the taxpayer is a tax-exempt entity under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), the qualified improvement tax credit shall be refundable to the not—for-profit entity in three equal installments over three taxable years beginning with the year in which the not-for-profit entity assumes ownership of the qualified improvement. The refund shall be used by the tax-exempt entity receiving the refund solely for purposes of providing preventive health care, outreach, and other enabling services to high-risk patients. Each 501(c)(3) entity receiving such a refund shall submit an annual report to the department of taxation to account for the expenditures.

(e) For any taxpayer other than a tax-exempt entity in subsection (d), the tax credit allowed under this chapter may be taken over a period not to exceed ten consecutive taxable years. The taxpayer shall elect the period and annual allocation of the tax credit in the initial year for which the credit is claimed.

(f) In the case of a partnership, S corporation, estate, or trust, the allowable tax credit shall be for qualified improvement costs incurred by the entity during the taxable year. The costs upon which the tax credit is computed shall be determined at the entity level. Distribution and share of the tax credit shall be determined by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 91.

(g) If a deduction is taken under section 179 (with respect to election to expense depreciable business assets) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, no tax credit shall be allowed for that portion of the qualified improvement costs for which the deduction is taken.

(h) The basis of eligible property for depreciation or accelerated cost recovery system purposes for state income taxes shall be reduced by the amount of credit allowed and claimed under this chapter.

(i) The tax credit allowed under this chapter shall be claimed against any or all net income tax liability for the taxable years over which the credit is claimed, or from the tax liability imposed by chapter 237 for the taxable year in which the credit could be claimed.

The director of taxation, in administering the tax credit for the taxes imposed by chapter 237, may implement the tax credit by prescribing tax forms and instructions that require tax reporting and payment by deduction, allocation, or any other method to determine the tax credit allowed under this section.

(j) If the amount of the tax credit claimed in any year exceeds the total of the taxpayer's net income tax liability for that taxable year, the excess of credit over liability may be used as a credit against the taxpayer's income tax liability in subsequent years until exhausted, except as provided in subsections (d) and (e).

All claims for a tax credit under this chapter shall be filed on or before the end of the twelfth month following the close of the initial taxable year for which the credit may be claimed. Failure to comply with this section shall constitute a waiver of the right to claim the credit.

(k) The director of taxation shall prepare forms that may be necessary to claim a tax credit under this chapter. The director of taxation may also require the taxpayer to furnish information to ascertain the validity of a claim for a tax credit made under this chapter and may adopt rules necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter pursuant to chapter 91.

(l) The tax credit allowed under this chapter shall be available for qualified improvement costs incurred during taxable years beginning after December 31, 2001, and before January 1, 2011.

(m) If a tax credit is claimed under this section, no other tax credit under this chapter may be claimed for the same qualified improvement costs."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act, upon its approval, shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2001.