BILL NUMBER: AB 2700 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 1, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Nazarian
FEBRUARY 21, 2014
An act to amend Section 17053.85 of add
Sections 17053.96 and 23696 to the Revenue and Taxation Code,
relating to taxation , to take effect immediately, tax levy
.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2700, as amended, Nazarian. Personal income taxes:
credits: film. Income taxes: credits: motion pictures:
qualified post production costs.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow
various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a
credit against those taxes for taxable years beginning on or after
January 1, 2011, in an amount equal to an applicable percentage of
either 20% or 25%, respectively, of the qualified expenditures, as
defined, attributable to the production of a qualified motion picture
in California, or, where the qualified motion picture is a
television series that relocated to California or is an independent
film, as provided. Existing law imposes specified duties on the
California Film Commission related to the administration of the
credits, including a requirement to allocate the tax credits until
July 1, 2017, and limits the aggregate amount of credits that may be
allocated to qualified motion pictures in any fiscal year to
$100,000,000 through the 2016-17 fiscal year.
This bill would allow credits under the Personal Income Tax Law
and the Corporation Tax Law for taxable years beginning on or after
January 1, 2015, to be allocated by the California Film Commission on
and after July 1, 2015 and before July 1, 2020, in an amount equal
to 25% of qualified post production costs, as defined, for qualified
motion pictures. This bill would limit the aggregate amount of these
new credits to be allocated in each fiscal year to an unspecified
amount, and would impose specified duties on the California Film
Commission related to the administration of the credits, including a
requirement to allocate the tax credits until July 1, 2020.
This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the
taxes imposed by that law, including a credit against those taxes for
taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in an amount
equal to a specified percentage of the qualified expenditures, as
defined, attributable to the production of a qualified motion picture
in California, or, where the qualified motion picture has relocated
to California or is an independent film, as provided.
This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that
provision.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 17053.96 is added to the
Revenue and Taxation Code , to read:
17053.96. (a) (1) For taxable years beginning on or after January
1, 2015, there shall be allowed to a qualified taxpayer a credit
against the "net tax," as defined in Section 17039, in an amount
equal to 25 percent of the qualified post production costs for the
post production of a qualified motion picture at a qualified
production facility. A credit shall not be allowed under this section
for any qualified post production costs for the post production of a
qualified motion picture at a qualified production facility if a
credit has been claimed for those same costs under Section 17053.85.
(2) The credit shall be allowed for the taxable year in which the
California Film Commission issues the credit certificate pursuant to
subdivision (f) for the qualified post production costs, and shall be
for the applicable percentage of all qualified post production costs
paid or incurred by the qualified taxpayer in all taxable years for
that qualified motion picture.
(3) The amount of the credit allowed to a qualified taxpayer shall
be limited to the amount specified in the credit certificate issued
to the qualified taxpayer by the California Film Commission pursuant
to subdivision (f).
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) (A) "Employee fringe benefits" means the amount allowable as a
deduction under this part to the qualified taxpayer involved in the
post production of the qualified motion picture, exclusive of any
amounts contributed by employees, for any year during the post
production period with respect to any of the following:
(i) Employer contributions under any pension, profit-sharing,
annuity, or similar plan.
(ii) Employer-provided coverage under any accident or health plan
for employees.
(iii) The employer's cost of life or disability insurance provided
to employees.
(B) Any amount treated as wages under clause (i) of subparagraph
(A) of paragraph (9) shall not be taken into account under this
paragraph.
(2) (A) "Post production" means the final activities in a
qualified motion picture's production, including editing, foley
recording, automatic dialogue replacement, sound editing, scoring,
music track recording by musicians and music editing, beginning and
end credits, negative cutting, negative processing and duplication,
the addition of sound and visual effects, sound mixing, film-to-tape
transfers, encoding, and color correction.
(B) "Post production" does not include the manufacture or shipping
of release prints.
(3) "Post production facility" means a building, a complex or
buildings, or both, and their improvements in which films are
intended to be post produced.
(4) (A) "Qualified individual" means any individual who performs
services in an activity related to the post production of a qualified
motion picture.
(B) "Qualified individual" shall not include either of the
following:
(i) Any individual related to the qualified taxpayer as described
in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of Section 51(i)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(ii) Any 5-percent owner, as defined in Section 416(i)(1)(B) of
the Internal Revenue Code, of the qualified taxpayer.
(5) (A) "Qualified motion picture" means a motion picture that is
produced for distribution to the general public, regardless of
medium, that is one of the following:
(i) A feature with a minimum production budget of one million
dollars ($1,000,000).
(ii) A movie of the week or miniseries with a minimum production
budget of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
(iii) A new one-hour television series of episodes longer than 40
minutes each of running time, exclusive of commercials, that is
produced in California, with a minimum production budget of one
million dollars ($1,000,000) per episode.
(iv) An independent film.
(v) A television series that relocated to California.
(vi) A television series.
(vii) A pilot for a new television series that is longer than 40
minutes of running time, exclusive of commercials, that is produced
in California, and with a minimum production budget of one million
dollars ($1,000,000).
(B) A "qualified motion picture" shall satisfy all of the
following conditions:
(i) At least 75 percent of the post production work must occur
wholly in California or 75 percent of the post production budget is
incurred for payment for services performed within the state and the
purchase or rental of property used within the state.
(ii) Post production of the qualified motion picture is completed
within 30 months from the date on which the qualified taxpayer's
application is approved by the California Film Commission. For
purposes of this section, a qualified motion picture is "completed"
when the process of post production has been finished.
(C) "Qualified motion picture" shall not include commercial
advertising, music videos, a motion picture produced for private
noncommercial use, such as weddings, graduations, or as part of an
educational course and made by students, a news program, current
events or public events program, talk show, game show, reality
television program, documentaries, or any production that falls
within the record keeping requirements of Section 2257 of Title 18 of
the United States Code.
(6) "Qualified post production costs" means amounts paid or
incurred to perform post production work on a qualified motion
picture including, but not limited to, amounts paid or incurred for
tangible personal property purchased or leased, and used, within this
state in the post production of a qualified motion picture and any
payments, including qualified wages, for services performed within
this state in the post production of a qualified motion picture.
(7) "Qualified post production facility" means a post production
facility located in the state and engaged in finishing a qualified
motion picture.
(8) (A) "Qualified taxpayer" means a taxpayer who has paid or
incurred qualified post production costs and has been issued a credit
certificate by the California Film Commission pursuant to
subdivision (f).
(B) In the case of any pass-thru 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 is not
allowed to the pass-thru entity, but shall be passed through to the
partners or shareholders in accordance with applicable provisions of
Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with
Section 23001). For purposes of this paragraph, "pass-thru entity"
means any entity taxed as a partnership or "S" corporation.
(9) (A) "Qualified wages" means all of the following:
(i) Any wages subject to withholding under Division 6 (commencing
with Section 13000) of the Unemployment Insurance Code that were paid
or incurred by any taxpayer involved in the post production of a
qualified motion picture with respect to a qualified individual for
services performed on the post production of a qualified motion
picture within this state.
(ii) The portion of any employee fringe benefits paid or incurred
by any taxpayer involved in the post production of the qualified
motion picture that are properly allocable to qualified wage amounts
described in clauses (i), (iii), and (iv).
(iii) Any payments made to a qualified entity for services
performed in this state by qualified individuals within the meaning
of paragraph (3).
(iv) Remuneration paid to an independent contractor who is a
qualified individual for services performed within this state by that
qualified individual.
(B) "Qualified wages" shall not include any of the following:
(i) Expenses, including wages, related to new use, reuse, clip
use, licensing, secondary markets, or residual compensation, or the
creation of any ancillary product, including, but not limited to, a
soundtrack album, toy, game, trailer, or teaser.
(ii) Expenses, including wages, paid or incurred with respect to
acquisition, development, turnaround, or any rights thereto.
(iii) Expenses, including wages, related to financing, overhead,
marketing, promotion, or distribution of a qualified motion picture.
(iv) Expenses, including wages, paid per person per qualified
motion picture for writers, directors, music directors, music
composers, music supervisors, producers, and performers, other than
background actors with no scripted lines.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, a qualified taxpayer may
sell any credit allowed under this section to an unrelated party.
(2) The qualified taxpayer shall report to the Franchise Tax Board
prior to the sale of the credit, in the form and manner specified by
the Franchise Tax Board, all required information regarding the
purchase and sale of the credit, including the social security or
other taxpayer identification number of the unrelated party to whom
the credit has been sold, the face amount of the credit sold, and the
amount of consideration received by the qualified taxpayer for the
sale of the credit.
(3) In the case where the credit allowed under this section
exceeds the "net tax," the excess credit may be carried over to
reduce the "net tax" in the following taxable year, and succeeding
five taxable years, if necessary, until the credit has been
exhausted.
(4) A credit shall not be sold pursuant to this subdivision to
more than one unrelated party, nor may the credit be resold by the
unrelated party to another taxpayer or other party.
(5) A party that has acquired tax credits under this section shall
be subject to the requirements of this section.
(6) In no event may a qualified taxpayer assign or sell any tax
credit to the extent the tax credit allowed by this section is
claimed on any tax return of the qualified taxpayer.
(7) In the event that both the qualified taxpayer originally
allocated a credit under this section by the California Film
Commission and a taxpayer to whom the credit has been sold both claim
the same amount of credit on their tax returns, the Franchise Tax
Board may disallow the credit of either taxpayer, as long as the
statute of limitations upon assessment remains open.
(8) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to any
standard, criterion, procedure, determination, rule, notice, or
guideline established or issued by the Franchise Tax Board pursuant
to this subdivision.
(9) Subdivision (g) of Section 17039 shall not apply to any credit
sold pursuant to this subdivision.
(d) No credit shall be allowed pursuant to this section unless the
qualified taxpayer provides the following to the California Film
Commission:
(1) Identification of each qualified individual.
(2) The specific start and end dates of post production.
(3) The total wages paid.
(4) The amount of qualified wages paid to each qualified
individual.
(5) Verification of completion of the post production of the
qualified motion picture.
(6) The total amounts paid or incurred to purchase or lease
tangible personal property used in the post production of a qualified
motion picture.
(7) Information to substantiate its qualified post production
costs.
(8) Information required by the California Film Commission under
regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (f) necessary to
verify the amount of credit claimed.
(e) The California Film Commission may prescribe rules and
regulations to carry out the purposes of this section including any
rules and regulations necessary to establish procedures, processes,
requirements, application fee structure, and rules identified in or
required to implement this section, including credit and logo
requirements.
(f) For purposes of this section, the California Film Commission
shall do the following:
(1) On or and after July 1, 2015, and before July 1, 2020,
allocate tax credits to applicants.
(A) Establish a procedure for applicants to file with the
California Film Commission a written application, on a form jointly
prescribed by the California Film Commission and the Franchise Tax
Board for the allocation of the tax credit. The application shall
include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(i) The budget for the post production of the qualified motion
picture.
(ii) The number of post production days.
(iii) All members of a combined reporting group, if known at the
time of the application.
(iv) Financial information, if available, including, but not
limited to, the most recently produced balance sheets, annual
statements of profits and losses, audited or unaudited financial
statements, summary budget projections or results, or the functional
equivalent of these documents of a partnership or owner of a single
member limited liability company that is disregarded pursuant to
Section 23038. The information provided pursuant to this clause shall
be confidential and shall not be subject to public disclosure.
(v) The names of all partners in a partnership not publicly traded
or the names of all members of a limited liability company
classified as a partnership not publicly traded for California income
tax purposes that have a financial interest in the applicant's
qualified motion picture. The information provided pursuant to this
clause shall be confidential and shall not be subject to public
disclosure.
(vi) Any other information deemed relevant by the California Film
Commission or the Franchise Tax Board.
(B) Establish criteria, consistent with the requirements of this
section, for allocating tax credits.
(C) Determine and designate applicants who meet the requirements
of this section.
(D) Process and approve, or reject, all applications on a
first-come-first-served basis.
(E) Subject to the annual cap established as provided in
subdivision (i), allocate an aggregate amount of credits under this
section and Section 23696, and allocate any carryover of unallocated
credits from prior years.
(2) Certify tax credits allocated to qualified taxpayers.
(A) Establish a verification procedure for the amount of qualified
post production costs paid or incurred by the applicant, including,
but not limited to, updates to the information in subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).
(B) Establish audit requirements that must be satisfied before a
credit certificate may be issued.
(C) Issue a credit certificate to a qualified taxpayer upon
completion of post production of the qualified motion picture
reflecting the credit amount allocated after qualified post
production costs have been verified under this section. The amount of
credit shown in the credit certificate shall not exceed the amount
of credit allocated to that qualified taxpayer pursuant to this
section.
(3) The information provided to the California Film Commission
pursuant to this section shall constitute confidential tax
information for purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 19542)
of Chapter 7 of Part 10.2.
(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (f), the
California Film Commission shall annually post on its Internet Web
site and make available for public release information relating to
the qualified taxpayers and qualified motion pictures that received a
tax credit allocation pursuant to this section. Nothing in this
subdivision shall be construed to make the information submitted by
an applicant for a tax credit under this section a public record.
(h) (1) The aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated in
any fiscal year pursuant to this section and Section 23696 shall be
an amount equal to the sum of all of the following:
(A) ____dollars ($____) in credits for the 2015-16 fiscal year and
each fiscal year thereafter, through and including the 2019-20
fiscal year.
(B) The unused allocation credit amount, if any, for the preceding
fiscal year.
(C) The amount of previously allocated credits not certified.
(2) If the amount of credits applied for in any particular fiscal
year exceeds the aggregate amount of tax credits authorized to be
allocated under this section, that excess shall be treated as having
been applied for on the first day of the subsequent fiscal year.
However, credits may not be allocated from a fiscal year other than
the fiscal year in which the credit was originally applied for or the
immediately succeeding fiscal year.
SEC. 2. Section 23696 is added to the
Revenue and Taxation Code , to read:
23696. (a) (1) For taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2015, there shall be allowed to a qualified taxpayer a credit
against the "tax," as defined in Section 23036, in an amount equal to
25 percent of the qualified post production costs for the post
production of a qualified motion picture at a qualified production
facility. A credit shall not be allowed under this section for any
qualified post production costs for the post production of a
qualified motion picture at a qualified production facility if a
credit has been claimed for those same costs under Section 23695.
(2) The credit shall be allowed for the taxable year in which the
California Film Commission issues the credit certificate pursuant to
subdivision (f) for the qualified post production costs, and shall be
for the applicable percentage of all qualified post production costs
paid or incurred by the qualified taxpayer in all taxable years for
that qualified motion picture.
(3) The amount of the credit allowed to a qualified taxpayer shall
be limited to the amount specified in the credit certificate issued
to the qualified taxpayer by the California Film Commission pursuant
to subdivision (f).
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) (A) "Employee fringe benefits" means the amount allowable as a
deduction under this part to the qualified taxpayer involved in the
post production of the qualified motion picture, exclusive of any
amounts contributed by employees, for any year during the post
production period with respect to any of the following:
(i) Employer contributions under any pension, profit-sharing,
annuity, or similar plan.
(ii) Employer-provided coverage under any accident or health plan
for employees.
(iii) The employer's cost of life or disability insurance provided
to employees.
(B) Any amount treated as wages under clause (i) of subparagraph
(A) of paragraph (9) shall not be taken into account under this
paragraph.
(2) (A) "Post production" means the final activities in a
qualified motion picture's production, including editing, foley
recording, automatic dialogue replacement, sound editing, scoring,
music track recording by musicians and music editing, beginning and
end credits, negative cutting, negative processing and duplication,
the addition of sound and visual effects, sound mixing, film-to-tape
transfers, encoding, and color correction.
(B) "Post production" does not include the manufacture or shipping
of release prints.
(3) "Post production facility" means a building, a complex or
buildings, or both, and their improvements in which films are
intended to be post produced.
(4) (A) "Qualified individual" means any individual who performs
services in an activity related to the post production of a qualified
motion picture.
(B) "Qualified individual" shall not include either of the
following:
(i) Any individual related to the qualified taxpayer as described
in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of Section 51(i)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(ii) Any 5-percent owner, as defined in Section 416(i)(1)(B) of
the Internal Revenue Code, of the qualified taxpayer.
(5) (A) "qualified motion picture" means a motion picture that is
produced for distribution to the general public, regardless of
medium, that is one of the following:
(i) A feature with a minimum production budget of one million
dollars ($1,000,000).
(ii) A movie of the week or miniseries with a minimum production
budget of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
(iii) A new one-hour television series of episodes longer than 40
minutes each of running time, exclusive of commercials, that is
produced in California, with a minimum production budget of one
million dollars ($1,000,000) per episode.
(iv) An independent film.
(v) A television series that relocated to California.
(vi) A television series.
(vii) A pilot for a new television series that is longer than 40
minutes of running time, exclusive of commercials, that is produced
in California, and with a minimum production budget of one million
dollars ($1,000,000).
(B) A "qualified motion picture" shall satisfy all of the
following conditions:
(i) At least 75 percent of the post production work must occur
wholly in California or 75 percent of the post production budget is
incurred for payment for services performed within the state and the
purchase or rental of property used within the state.
(ii) Post production of the qualified motion picture is completed
within 30 months from the date on which the qualified taxpayer's
application is approved by the California Film Commission. For
purposes of this section, a qualified motion picture is "completed"
when the process of post production has been finished.
(C) "Qualified motion picture" shall not include commercial
advertising, music videos, a motion picture produced for private
noncommercial use, such as weddings, graduations, or as part of an
educational course and made by students, a news program, current
events or public events program, talk show, game show, reality
television program, documentaries, or any production that falls
within the record keeping requirements of Section 2257 of Title 18 of
the United States Code.
(6) "Qualified post production costs" means amounts paid or
incurred to perform post production work on a qualified motion
picture including, but not limited to, amounts paid or incurred for
tangible personal property purchased or leased, and used, within this
state in the post production of a qualified motion picture and any
payments, including qualified wages, for services performed within
this state in the post production of a qualified motion picture.
(7) "Qualified post production facility" means a post production
facility located in the state and engaged in finishing a qualified
motion picture.
(8) (A) "Qualified taxpayer" means a taxpayer who has paid or
incurred qualified post production costs and has been issued a credit
certificate by the California Film Commission pursuant to
subdivision (f).
(B) In the case of any pass-thru 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 is not
allowed to the pass-thru entity, but shall be passed through to the
partners or shareholders in accordance with applicable provisions of
Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with
Section 23001). For purposes of this paragraph, "pass-thru entity"
means any entity taxed as a partnership or "S" corporation.
(9) (A) "Qualified wages" means all of the following:
(i) Any wages subject to withholding under Division 6 (commencing
with Section 13000) of the Unemployment Insurance Code that were paid
or incurred by any taxpayer involved in the post production of a
qualified motion picture with respect to a qualified individual for
services performed on the post production of a qualified motion
picture within this state.
(ii) The portion of any employee fringe benefits paid or incurred
by any taxpayer involved in the post production of the qualified
motion picture that are properly allocable to qualified wage amounts
described in clauses (i), (iii), and (iv).
(iii) Any payments made to a qualified entity for services
performed in this state by qualified individuals within the meaning
of paragraph (3).
(iv) Remuneration paid to an independent contractor who is a
qualified individual for services performed within this state by that
qualified individual.
(B) "Qualified wages" shall not include any of the following:
(i) Expenses, including wages, related to new use, reuse, clip
use, licensing, secondary markets, or residual compensation, or the
creation of any ancillary product, including, but not limited to, a
soundtrack album, toy, game, trailer, or teaser.
(ii) Expenses, including wages, paid or incurred with respect to
acquisition, development, turnaround, or any rights thereto.
(iii) Expenses, including wages, related to financing, overhead,
marketing, promotion, or distribution of a qualified motion picture.
(iv) Expenses, including wages, paid per person per qualified
motion picture for writers, directors, music directors, music
composers, music supervisors, producers, and performers, other than
background actors with no scripted lines.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (i) of Section 23036, in the
case where the credit allowed by this section exceeds the taxpayer's
tax liability computed under this part, a qualified taxpayer may
elect to assign any portion of the credit allowed under this section
to one or more affiliated corporations for each taxable year in which
the credit is allowed. For purposes of this subdivision, "affiliated
corporation" has the meaning provided in subdivision (b) of Section
25110, as that section was amended by Chapter 881 of the Statutes of
1993, as of the last day of the taxable year in which the credit is
allowed, except that "100 percent" is substituted for "more than 50
percent" wherever it appears in the section, and "voting common stock"
is substituted for "voting stock" wherever it appears in the
section.
(2) The election provided in paragraph (1):
(A) May be based on any method selected by the qualified taxpayer
that originally receives the credit.
(B) Shall be irrevocable for the taxable year the credit is
allowed, once made.
(C) May be changed for any subsequent taxable year if the election
to make the assignment is expressly shown on each of the returns of
the qualified taxpayer and the qualified taxpayer's affiliated
corporations that assign and receive the credits.
(D) Shall be reported to the Franchise Tax Board, in the form and
manner specified by the Franchise Tax Board, along with all required
information regarding the assignment of the credit, including the
corporation number, the federal employer identification number, or
other taxpayer identification number of the assignee, and the amount
of the credit assigned.
(3) (A) Notwithstanding any other law, a qualified taxpayer may
sell any credit allowed under this section to an unrelated party.
(B) The qualified taxpayer shall report to the Franchise Tax Board
prior to the sale of the credit, in the form and manner specified by
the Franchise Tax Board, all required information regarding the
purchase and sale of the credit, including the social security or
other taxpayer identification number of the unrelated party to whom
the credit has been sold, the face amount of the credit sold, and the
amount of consideration received by the qualified taxpayer for the
sale of the credit.
(4) In the case where the credit allowed under this section
exceeds the "tax," the excess credit may be carried over to reduce
the "tax" in the following taxable year, and succeeding five taxable
years, if necessary, until the credit has been exhausted.
(5) A credit shall not be sold pursuant to this subdivision to
more than one unrelated party, nor may the credit be resold by the
unrelated party to another taxpayer or other party.
(6) A party that has acquired tax credits under this section shall
be subject to the requirements of this section.
(7) In no event may a qualified taxpayer assign or sell any tax
credit to the extent the tax credit allowed by this section is
claimed on any tax return of the qualified taxpayer.
(8) In the event that both the qualified taxpayer originally
allocated a credit under this section by the California Film
Commission and a taxpayer to whom the credit has been sold both claim
the same amount of credit on their tax returns, the Franchise Tax
Board may disallow the credit of either taxpayer, as long as the
statute of limitations upon assessment remains open.
(9) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to any
standard, criterion, procedure, determination, rule, notice, or
guideline established or issued by the Franchise Tax Board pursuant
to this subdivision.
(10) Subdivision (g) of Section 17039 shall not apply to any
credit sold pursuant to this subdivision.
(d) No credit shall be allowed pursuant to this section unless the
qualified taxpayer provides the following to the California Film
Commission:
(1) Identification of each qualified individual.
(2) The specific start and end dates of post production.
(3) The total wages paid.
(4) The amount of qualified wages paid to each qualified
individual.
(5) Verification of completion of the post production of the
qualified motion picture.
(6) The total amounts paid or incurred to purchase or lease
tangible personal property used in the post production of a qualified
motion picture.
(7) Information to substantiate its qualified post production
costs.
(8) Information required by the California Film Commission under
regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (f) necessary to
verify the amount of credit claimed.
(e) The California Film Commission may prescribe rules and
regulations to carry out the purposes of this section including any
rules and regulations necessary to establish procedures, processes,
requirements, application fee structure, and rules identified in or
required to implement this section, including credit and logo
requirements.
(f) For purposes of this section, the California Film Commission
shall do the following:
(1) On or and after July 1, 2015, and before July 1, 2020,
allocate tax credits to applicants.
(A) Establish a procedure for applicants to file with the
California Film Commission a written application, on a form jointly
prescribed by the California Film Commission and the Franchise Tax
Board for the allocation of the tax credit. The application shall
include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(i) The budget for the post production of the qualified motion
picture.
(ii) The number of post production days.
(iii) All members of a combined reporting group, if known at the
time of the application.
(iv) Financial information, if available, including, but not
limited to, the most recently produced balance sheets, annual
statements of profits and losses, audited or unaudited financial
statements, summary budget projections or results, or the functional
equivalent of these documents of a partnership or owner of a single
member limited liability company that is disregarded pursuant to
Section 23038. The information provided pursuant to this clause shall
be confidential and shall not be subject to public disclosure.
(v) The names of all partners in a partnership not publicly traded
or the names of all members of a limited liability company
classified as a partnership not publicly traded for California income
tax purposes that have a financial interest in the applicant's
qualified motion picture. The information provided pursuant to this
clause shall be confidential and shall not be subject to public
disclosure.
(vi) Any other information deemed relevant by the California Film
Commission or the Franchise Tax Board.
(B) Establish criteria, consistent with the requirements of this
section, for allocating tax credits.
(C) Determine and designate applicants who meet the requirements
of this section.
(D) Process and approve, or reject, all applications on a
first-come-first-served basis.
(E) Subject to the annual cap established as provided in
subdivision (i), allocate an aggregate amount of credits under this
section and Section 23696, and allocate any carryover of unallocated
credits from prior years.
(2) Certify tax credits allocated to qualified taxpayers.
(A) Establish a verification procedure for the amount of qualified
post production costs paid or incurred by the applicant, including,
but not limited to, updates to the information in subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).
(B) Establish audit requirements that must be satisfied before a
credit certificate may be issued.
(C) Issue a credit certificate to a qualified taxpayer upon
completion of post production of the qualified motion picture
reflecting the credit amount allocated after qualified post
production costs have been verified under this section. The amount of
credit shown in the credit certificate shall not exceed the amount
of credit allocated to that qualified taxpayer pursuant to this
section.
(3) The information provided to the California Film Commission
pursuant to this section shall constitute confidential tax
information for purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 19542)
of Chapter 7 of Part 10.2.
(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (f), the
California Film Commission shall annually post on its Internet Web
site and make available for public release information relating to
the qualified taxpayers and qualified motion pictures that received a
tax credit allocation pursuant to this section. Nothing in this
subdivision shall be construed to make the information submitted by
an applicant for a tax credit under this section a public record.
(h) (1) The aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated in
any fiscal year pursuant to this section and Section 23696 shall be
an amount equal to the sum of all of the following:
(A) ____dollars ($____) in credits for the 2015-16 fiscal year and
each fiscal year thereafter, through and including the 2019-20
fiscal year.
(B) The unused allocation credit amount, if any, for the preceding
fiscal year.
(C) The amount of previously allocated credits not certified.
(2) If the amount of credits applied for in any particular fiscal
year exceeds the aggregate amount of tax credits authorized to be
allocated under this section, that excess shall be treated as having
been applied for on the first day of the subsequent fiscal year.
However, credits may not be allocated from a fiscal year other than
the fiscal year in which the credit was originally applied for or the
immediately succeeding fiscal year.
SEC. 3. This act provides for a tax levy within
the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
immediate effect.
SECTION 1. Section 17053.85 of the Revenue and
Taxation Code is amended to read:
17053.85. (a) (1) For taxable years beginning on or after January
1, 2011, there shall be allowed to a qualified taxpayer a credit
against the "net tax," as defined in Section 17039, in an amount
equal to the applicable percentage, as specified in paragraph (4), of
the qualified expenditures for the production of a qualified motion
picture in California.
(2) The credit shall be allowed for the taxable year in which the
California Film Commission issues the credit certificate pursuant to
subdivision (g) for the qualified motion picture, and shall be for
the applicable percentage of all qualified expenditures paid or
incurred by the qualified taxpayer in all taxable years for that
qualified motion picture.
(3) The amount of the credit allowed to a qualified taxpayer shall
be limited to the amount specified in the credit certificate issued
to the qualified taxpayer by the California Film Commission pursuant
to subdivision (g).
(4) For purposes of paragraphs (1) and (2), the applicable
percentage shall be:
(A) Twenty percent of the qualified expenditures attributable to
the production of a qualified motion picture in California.
(B) Twenty-five percent of the qualified expenditures attributable
to the production of a qualified motion picture in California where
the qualified motion picture is a television series that relocated to
California or an independent film.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Ancillary product" means any article for sale to the public
that contains a portion of, or any element of, the qualified motion
picture.
(2) "Budget" means an estimate of all expenses paid or incurred
during the production period of a qualified motion picture. It shall
be the same budget used by the qualified taxpayer and production
company for all qualified motion picture purposes.
(3) "Clip use" means a use of any portion of a motion picture,
other than the qualified motion picture, used in the qualified motion
picture.
(4) "Credit certificate" means the certificate issued by the
California Film Commission pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph
(2) of subdivision (g).
(5) (A) "Employee fringe benefits" means the amount allowable as a
deduction under this part to the qualified taxpayer involved in the
production of the qualified motion picture, exclusive of any amounts
contributed by employees, for any year during the production period
with respect to any of the following:
(i) Employer contributions under any pension, profit-sharing,
annuity, or similar plan.
(ii) Employer-provided coverage under any accident or health plan
for employees.
(iii) The employer's cost of life or disability insurance provided
to employees.
(B) Any amount treated as wages under clause (i) of subparagraph
(A) of paragraph (18) shall not be taken into account under this
paragraph.
(6) "Independent film" means a motion picture with a minimum
budget of one million dollars ($1,000,000) and a maximum budget of
ten million dollars ($10,000,000) that is produced by a company that
is not publicly traded and publicly traded companies do not own,
directly or indirectly, more than 25 percent of the producing
company.
(7) "Licensing" means any grant of rights to distribute the
qualified motion picture, in whole or in part.
(8) "New use" means any use of a motion picture in a medium other
than the medium for which it was initially created.
(9) (A) "Postproduction" means the final activities in a qualified
motion picture's production, including editing, foley recording,
automatic dialogue replacement, sound editing, scoring and music
editing, beginning and end credits, negative cutting, negative
processing and duplication, the addition of sound and visual effects,
soundmixing, film-to-tape transfers, encoding, and color correction.
(B) "Postproduction" does not include the manufacture or shipping
of release prints.
(10) "Preproduction" means the process of preparation for actual
physical production which begins after a qualified motion picture has
received a firm agreement of financial commitment, or is greenlit,
with, for example, the establishment of a dedicated production
office, the hiring of key crew members, and includes, but is not
limited to, activities that include location scouting and execution
of contracts with vendors of equipment and stage space.
(11) "Principal photography" means the phase of production during
which the motion picture is actually shot, as distinguished from
preproduction and postproduction.
(12) "Production period" means the period beginning with
preproduction and ending upon completion of postproduction.
(13) "Qualified entity" means a personal service corporation as
defined in Section 269A(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, a payroll
services corporation, or any entity receiving qualified wages with
respect to services performed by a qualified individual.
(14) (A) "Qualified individual" means any individual who performs
services during the production period in an activity related to the
production of a qualified motion picture.
(B) "Qualified individual" shall not include either of the
following:
(i) Any individual related to the qualified taxpayer as described
in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of Section 51(i)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(ii) Any 5-percent owner, as defined in Section 416(i)(1)(B) of
the Internal Revenue Code, of the qualified taxpayer.
(15) (A) "Qualified motion picture" means a motion picture that is
produced for distribution to the general public, regardless of
medium, that is one of the following:
(i) A feature with a minimum production budget of one million
dollars ($1,000,000) and a maximum production budget of seventy-five
million dollars ($75,000,000).
(ii) A movie of the week or miniseries with a minimum production
budget of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
(iii) A new television series produced in California with a
minimum production budget of one million dollars ($1,000,000)
licensed for original distribution on basic cable.
(iv) An independent film.
(v) A television series that relocated to California.
(B) To qualify as a "qualified motion picture," all of the
following conditions shall be satisfied:
(i) At least 75 percent of the production days occur wholly in
California or 75 percent of the production budget is incurred for
payment for services performed within the state and the purchase or
rental of property used within the state.
(ii) Production of the qualified motion picture is completed
within 30 months from the date on which the qualified taxpayer's
application is approved by the California Film Commission. For
purposes of this section, a qualified motion picture is "completed"
when the process of postproduction has been finished.
(iii) The copyright for the motion picture is registered with the
United States Copyright Office pursuant to Title 17 of the United
States Code.
(iv) Principal photography of the qualified motion picture
commences after the date on which the application is approved by the
California Film Commission, but no later than 180 days after the date
of that approval.
(C) For the purposes of subparagraph (A), in computing the total
wages paid or incurred for the production of a qualified motion
picture, all amounts paid or incurred by all persons or entities that
share in the costs of the qualified motion picture shall be
aggregated.
(D) "Qualified motion picture" shall not include commercial
advertising, music videos, a motion picture produced for private
noncommercial use, such as weddings, graduations, or as part of an
educational course and made by students, a news program, current
events or public events program, talk show, game show, sporting event
or activity, awards show, telethon or other production that solicits
funds, reality television program, clip-based programming if more
than 50 percent of the content is comprised of licensed footage,
documentaries, variety programs, daytime dramas, strip shows,
one-half hour (air time) episodic television shows, or any production
that falls within the recordkeeping requirements of Section 2257 of
Title 18 of the United States Code.
(16) "Qualified expenditures" means amounts paid or incurred to
purchase or lease tangible personal property used within this state
in the production of a qualified motion picture and payments,
including qualified wages, for services performed within this state
in the production of a qualified motion picture.
(17) (A) "Qualified taxpayer" means a taxpayer who has paid or
incurred qualified expenditures and has been issued a credit
certificate by the California Film Commission pursuant to subdivision
(g).
(B) In the case of any pass-thru 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 is not
allowed to the pass-thru entity, but shall be passed through to the
partners or shareholders in accordance with applicable provisions of
Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with
Section 23001). For purposes of this paragraph, "pass-thru entity"
means any entity taxed as a partnership or "S" corporation.
(18) (A) "Qualified wages" means all of the following:
(i) Any wages subject to withholding under Division 6 (commencing
with Section 13000) of the Unemployment Insurance Code that were paid
or incurred by any taxpayer involved in the production of a
qualified motion picture with respect to a qualified individual for
services performed on the qualified motion picture production within
this state.
(ii) The portion of any employee fringe benefits paid or incurred
by any taxpayer involved in the production of the qualified motion
picture that are properly allocable to qualified wage amounts
described in clause (i).
(iii) Any payments made to a qualified entity for services
performed in this state by qualified individuals within the meaning
of paragraph (14).
(iv) Remuneration paid to an independent contractor who is a
qualified individual for services performed within this state by that
qualified individual.
(B) "Qualified wages" shall not include any of the following:
(i) Expenses, including wages, related to new use, reuse, clip
use, licensing, secondary markets, or residual compensation, or the
creation of any ancillary product, including, but not limited to, a
soundtrack album, toy, game, trailer, or teaser.
(ii) Expenses, including wages, paid or incurred with respect to
acquisition, development, turnaround, or any rights thereto.
(iii) Expenses, including wages, related to financing, overhead,
marketing, promotion, or distribution of a qualified motion picture.
(iv) Expenses, including wages, paid per person per qualified
motion picture for writers, directors, music directors, music
composers, music supervisors, producers, and performers, other than
background actors with no scripted lines.
(19) "Residual compensation" means supplemental compensation paid
at the time that a motion picture is exhibited through new use,
reuse, clip use, or in secondary markets, as distinguished from
payments made during production.
(20) "Reuse" means any use of a qualified motion picture in the
same medium for which it was created, following the initial use in
that medium.
(21) "Secondary markets" means media in which a qualified motion
picture is exhibited following the initial media in which it is
exhibited.
(22) "Television series
that relocated to California" means a television series, without
regard to episode length or initial media exhibition, that filmed all
of its prior season or seasons outside of California and for which
the taxpayer certifies that the credit provided pursuant to this
section is the primary reason for relocating to California.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, a qualified taxpayer may
sell any credit allowed under this section that is attributable to an
independent film, as defined in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b), to
an unrelated party.
(2) The qualified taxpayer shall report to the Franchise Tax Board
prior to the sale of the credit, in the form and manner specified by
the Franchise Tax Board, all required information regarding the
purchase and sale of the credit, including the social security or
other taxpayer identification number of the unrelated party to whom
the credit has been sold, the face amount of the credit sold, and the
amount of consideration received by the qualified taxpayer for the
sale of the credit.
(3) In the case where the credit allowed under this section
exceeds the "net tax," the excess credit may be carried over to
reduce the "net tax" in the following taxable year, and succeeding
five taxable years, if necessary, until the credit has been
exhausted.
(4) A credit shall not be sold pursuant to this subdivision to
more than one taxpayer, nor may the credit be resold by the unrelated
party to another taxpayer or other party.
(5) A party that has acquired tax credits under this section shall
be subject to the requirements of this section.
(6) In no event may a qualified taxpayer assign or sell any tax
credit to the extent the tax credit allowed by this section is
claimed on any tax return of the qualified taxpayer.
(7) In the event that both the taxpayer originally allocated a
credit under this section by the California Film Commission and a
taxpayer to whom the credit has been sold both claim the same amount
of credit on their tax returns, the Franchise Tax Board may disallow
the credit of either taxpayer, so long as the statute of limitations
upon assessment remains open.
(8) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to any
standard, criterion, procedure, determination, rule, notice, or
guideline established or issued by the Franchise Tax Board pursuant
to this subdivision.
(9) Subdivision (g) of Section 17039 shall not apply to any credit
sold pursuant to this subdivision.
(10) For purposes of this subdivision, the unrelated party or
parties that purchase a credit pursuant to this subdivision shall be
treated as a qualified taxpayer pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (a).
(d) No credit shall be allowed pursuant to this section unless the
qualified taxpayer provides the following to the California Film
Commission:
(1) Identification of each qualified individual.
(2) The specific start and end dates of production.
(3) The total wages paid.
(4) The amount of qualified wages paid to each qualified
individual.
(5) The copyright registration number, as reflected on the
certificate of registration issued under the authority of Section 410
of Title 17 of the United States Code, relating to registration of
claim and issuance of certificate. The registration number shall be
provided on the return claiming the credit.
(6) The total amounts paid or incurred to purchase or lease
tangible personal property used in the production of a qualified
motion picture.
(7) Information to substantiate its qualified expenditures.
(8) Information required by the California Film Commission under
regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (g) necessary to
verify the amount of credit claimed.
(e) The California Film Commission may prescribe rules and
regulations to carry out the purposes of this section including any
rules and regulations necessary to establish procedures, processes,
requirements, and rules identified in or required to implement this
section. The regulations shall include provisions to set aside a
percentage of annual credit allocations for independent films.
(f) If the qualified taxpayer fails to provide the copyright
registration number as required in paragraph (5) of subdivision (d),
the credit shall be disallowed and assessed and collected under
Section 19051 until the procedures are satisfied.
(g) For purposes of this section, the California Film Commission
shall do the following:
(1) On or after July 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2017, allocate
tax credits to applicants.
(A) Establish a procedure for applicants to file with the
California Film Commission a written application, on a form jointly
prescribed by the California Film Commission and the Franchise Tax
Board for the allocation of the tax credit. The application shall
include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(i) The budget for the motion picture production.
(ii) The number of production days.
(iii) A financing plan for the production.
(iv) The diversity of the workforce employed by the applicant,
including, but not limited to, the ethnic and racial makeup of the
individuals employed by the applicant during the production of the
qualified motion picture, to the extent possible.
(v) All members of a combined reporting group, if known at the
time of the application.
(vi) Financial information, if available, including, but not
limited to, the most recently produced balance sheets, annual
statements of profits and losses, audited or unaudited financial
statements, summary budget projections or results, or the functional
equivalent of these documents of a partnership or owner of a single
member limited liability company that is disregarded pursuant to
Section 23038. The information provided pursuant to this clause shall
be confidential and shall not be subject to public disclosure.
(vii) The names of all partners in a partnership not publicly
traded or the names of all members of a limited liability company
classified as a partnership not publicly traded for California income
tax purposes that have a financial interest in the applicant's
qualified motion picture. The information provided pursuant to this
clause shall be confidential and shall not be subject to public
disclosure.
(viii) Detailed narratives, for use only by the Legislative
Analyst's Office in conducting a study of the effectiveness of this
credit, that describe the extent to which the credit is expected to
influence or affect filming and other business location decisions,
hiring decisions, salary decisions, and any other financial matters
of the applicant.
(ix) Any other information deemed relevant by the California Film
Commission or the Franchise Tax Board.
(B) Establish criteria, consistent with the requirements of this
section, for allocating tax credits.
(C) Determine and designate applicants who meet the requirements
of this section.
(D) Process and approve, or reject, all applications on a
first-come-first-served basis.
(E) Subject to the annual cap established as provided in
subdivision (i), allocate an aggregate amount of credits under this
section and Section 23685, and allocate any carryover of unallocated
credits from prior years.
(2) Certify tax credits allocated to qualified taxpayers.
(A) Establish a verification procedure for the amount of qualified
expenditures paid or incurred by the applicant, including, but not
limited to, updates to the information in subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1) of subdivision (g).
(B) Establish audit requirements that must be satisfied before a
credit certificate may be issued by the California Film Commission.
(C) (i) Establish a procedure for a qualified taxpayer to report
to the California Film Commission, prior to the issuance of a credit
certificate, the following information:
(I) If readily available, a list of the states, provinces, or
other jurisdictions in which any member of the applicant's combined
reporting group in the same business unit as the qualified taxpayer
that, in the preceding calendar year, has produced a qualified motion
picture intended for release in the United States market. For
purposes of this clause, "qualified motion picture" shall not include
any episodes of a television series that were complete or in
production prior to July 1, 2009.
(II) Whether a qualified motion picture described in subclause (I)
was awarded any financial incentive by the state, province, or other
jurisdiction that was predicated on the performance of primary
principal photography or postproduction in that location.
(ii) The California Film Commission may provide that the report
required by this subparagraph be filed in a single report provided on
a calendar year basis for those qualified taxpayers that receive
multiple credit certificates in a calendar year.
(D) Issue a credit certificate to a qualified taxpayer upon
completion of the qualified motion picture reflecting the credit
amount allocated after qualified expenditures have been verified
under this section. The amount of credit shown in the credit
certificate shall not exceed the amount of credit allocated to that
qualified taxpayer pursuant to this section.
(3) Obtain, when possible, the following information from
applicants that do not receive an allocation of credit:
(A) Whether the qualified motion picture that was the subject of
the application was completed.
(B) If completed, in which state or foreign jurisdiction was the
primary principal photography completed.
(C) Whether the applicant received any financial incentives from
the state or foreign jurisdiction to make the qualified motion
picture in that location.
(4) Provide the Legislative Analyst's Office, upon request, any or
all application materials or any other materials received from, or
submitted by, the applicants, in electronic format when available,
including, but not limited to, information provided pursuant to
clauses (i) to (ix), inclusive, of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).
(5) The information provided to the California Film Commission
pursuant to this section shall constitute confidential tax
information for purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 19542)
of Chapter 7 of Part 10.2.
(h) (1) The California Film Commission shall annually provide the
Franchise Tax Board, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the board
with a list of qualified taxpayers and the tax credit amounts
allocated to each qualified taxpayer by the California Film
Commission. The list shall include the names and taxpayer
identification numbers, including taxpayer identification numbers of
each partner or shareholder, as applicable, of the qualified
taxpayer.
(2) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (5) of subdivision (g), the
California Film Commission shall annually post on its Internet Web
site and make available for public release the following:
(i) A table which includes all of the following information: a
list of qualified taxpayers and the tax credit amounts allocated to
each qualified taxpayer by the California Film Commission, the number
of production days in California the qualified taxpayer represented
in its application would occur, the number of California jobs that
the qualified taxpayer represented in its application would be
directly created by the production, and the total amount of qualified
expenditures expected to be spent by the production.
(ii) A narrative staff summary describing the production of the
qualified taxpayer as well as background information regarding the
qualified taxpayer contained in the qualified taxpayer's application
for the credit.
(B) Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to make the
information submitted by an applicant for a tax credit under this
section a public record.
(i) (1) The aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated in
any fiscal year pursuant to this section and Section 23685 shall be
an amount equal to the sum of all of the following:
(A) One hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) in credits for the
2009-10 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, through and
including the 2016-17 fiscal year.
(B) The unused allocation credit amount, if any, for the preceding
fiscal year.
(C) The amount of previously allocated credits not certified.
(2) If the amount of credits applied for in any particular fiscal
year exceeds the aggregate amount of tax credits authorized to be
allocated under this section, such excess shall be treated as having
been applied for on the first day of the subsequent fiscal year.
However, credits may not be allocated from a fiscal year other than
the fiscal year in which the credit was originally applied for or the
immediately succeeding fiscal year.
(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the California Film Commission
shall set aside up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) of tax
credits each fiscal year for independent films allocated in
accordance with rules and regulations developed pursuant to
subdivision (e).
(4) Any act that reduces the amount that may be allocated pursuant
to paragraph (1) constitutes a change in state taxes for the purpose
of increasing revenues within the meaning of Section 3 of Article
XIII A of the California Constitution and may be passed by not less
than two-thirds of all Members elected to each of the two houses of
the Legislature.
(j) The California Film Commission shall have the authority to
allocate tax credits in accordance with this section and in
accordance with any regulations prescribed pursuant to subdivision
(e) upon adoption.