STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 52nd Legislature (2009)

SENATE BILL 537	By:	Marlatt

AS INTRODUCED

An Act relating to revenue and taxation; amending 68 O.S. 2001, Section 1359, as last amended by Section 8, Chapter 44, 2nd Extraordinary Session, O.S.L. 2006 (68 O.S. Supp. 2008, Section 1359), which relates to sales tax exemptions; modifying certain definition for eligibility purposes; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     68 O.S. 2001, Section 1359, as last amended by Section 8, Chapter 44, 2nd Extraordinary Session, O.S.L. 2006 (68 O.S. Supp. 2008, Section 1359), is amended to read as follows:
Section 1359.  Exemptions - Manufacturing.
There are hereby specifically exempted from the tax levied by Section 1350 et seq. of this title:
1.  Sales of goods, wares, merchandise, tangible personal property, machinery and equipment to a manufacturer for use in a manufacturing operation.  Goods, wares, merchandise, property, machinery and equipment used in a nonmanufacturing activity or process as set forth in paragraph 9 of Section 1352 of this title shall not be eligible for the exemption provided for in this subsection by virtue of the activity or process being performed in conjunction with or integrated into a manufacturing operation;
2.  Ethyl alcohol when sold and used for the purpose of blending same with motor fuel on which motor fuel tax is levied by Section 500.4 of this title;
3.  Sales of containers when sold to a person regularly engaged in the business of reselling empty or filled containers or when purchased for the purpose of packaging raw products of farm, garden, or orchard for resale to the consumer or processor.  This exemption shall not apply to the sale of any containers used more than once and which are ordinarily known as returnable containers, except returnable soft drink bottles and the cartons, crates, pallets, and containers used to transport returnable soft drink bottles.  Each and every transfer of title or possession of such returnable containers in this state to any person who is not regularly engaged in the business of selling, reselling or otherwise transferring empty or filled containers shall be taxable under this Code.  Additionally, this exemption shall not apply to the sale of labels or other materials delivered along with items sold but which are not necessary or absolutely essential to the sale of the sold merchandise;
4.  Sales of or transfers of title to or possession of any containers, after June 30, 1987, used or to be used more than once and which are ordinarily known as returnable containers and which do or will contain beverages defined by paragraphs 4 and 14 of Section 506 of Title 37 of the Oklahoma Statutes, or water for human consumption and the cartons, crates, pallets, and containers used to transport such returnable containers;
5.  Sale of tangible personal property when sold by the manufacturer to a person who transports it to a state other than Oklahoma for immediate and exclusive use in a state other than Oklahoma.  Provided, no sales at a retail outlet shall qualify for the exemption under this paragraph;
6.  Machinery, equipment, fuels and chemicals or other materials incorporated into and directly used or consumed in the process of treatment to substantially reduce the volume or harmful properties of hazardous waste at treatment facilities specifically permitted pursuant to the Oklahoma Hazardous Waste Management Act and operated at the place of waste generation, or facilities approved by the Department of Environmental Quality for the cleanup of a site of contamination.  The term "hazardous" waste may include low-level radioactive waste for the purpose of this paragraph;
7.  Except as otherwise provided by subsection I of Section 3658 of this title pursuant to which the exemption authorized by this paragraph may not be claimed, sales of tangible personal property to a qualified manufacturer or distributor to be consumed or incorporated in a new manufacturing or distribution facility or to expand an existing manufacturing or distribution facility.  For purposes of this paragraph, sales made to a contractor or subcontractor that has previously entered into a contractual relationship with a qualified manufacturer or distributor for construction or expansion of a manufacturing or distribution facility shall be considered sales made to a qualified manufacturer or distributor.  For the purposes of this paragraph, "qualified manufacturer or distributor" means:
a.	any manufacturing enterprise whose total cost of construction of a new or expanded facility exceeds the sum of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) and in which at least one hundred (100) new full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, are added and maintained for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months as a direct result of the new or expanded facility,
b.	any manufacturing enterprise whose total cost of construction of a new or expanded facility exceeds the sum of Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00) and the combined cost of construction material, machinery, equipment and other tangible personal property exempt from sales tax under the provisions of this paragraph exceeds the sum of Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00) and in which at least seventy-five (75) new full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, are added and maintained for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months as a direct result of the new or expanded facility,
c.	any manufacturing enterprise whose total cost of construction of an expanded facility exceeds the sum of Three Hundred Million Dollars ($300,000,000.00) and in which the manufacturer has and maintains an average employment level of at least one thousand seven hundred fifty (1,750) full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Employment Security Commission, or
d.	any enterprise primarily engaged in the general wholesale distribution of groceries defined or classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Manual under Industry Groups No. 4244 and 4245 and which has at least seventy-five percent (75%) of its total sales to in-state customers or buyers and whose total cost of construction of a new or expanded facility exceeds the sum of Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00) with such construction commencing on or after July 1, 2005, and before December 31, 2005, and which at least fifty new full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, are added and maintained for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months as a direct result of the new or expanded facility, or
e.	any manufacturing enterprise located in a county with a population of fewer than thirty-five thousand (35,000), according to the most recent federal decennial census, whose total cost of construction of a new or expanded facility exceeds the sum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) and in which at least ten (10) new full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, are added and maintained for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months as a direct result of the new or expanded facility.
For purposes of this paragraph, the total cost of construction shall include building and construction material and engineering and architectural fees or charges directly associated with the construction of a new or expanded facility.  The total cost of construction shall not include attorney fees.  For purposes of subparagraph c of this paragraph, the total cost of construction shall also include the cost of qualified depreciable property as defined in Section 2357.4 of this title and labor services performed in the construction of an expanded facility.  For the purpose of subparagraph d of this paragraph, the total cost of construction shall also include the cost of all parking, security and dock structures or facilities necessary to manage, process or secure vehicles used to receive and/or distribute groceries through such a facility.  The employment requirement of this paragraph can be satisfied by the employment of a portion of the required number of new full-time-equivalent employees at a manufacturing or distribution facility that is related to or supported by the new or expanded manufacturing or distribution facility as long as both facilities are owned by one person or business entity.  For purposes of this section, "manufacturing facility" shall mean building and land improvements used in manufacturing as defined in Section 1352 of this title and shall also mean building and land improvements used for the purpose of packing, repackaging, labeling or assembling for distribution to market, products at least seventy percent (70%) of which are made in Oklahoma by the same company but at an off-site, in-state manufacturing or distribution facility or facilities.  It shall not include a retail outlet unless the retail outlet is operated in conjunction with and on the same site or premises as the manufacturing facility.  Up to ten percent (10%) of the square feet of a manufacturing or distribution facility building may be devoted to office space used to provide clerical support for the manufacturing operation.  Such ten percent (10%) may be in a separate building as long as it is part of the same contiguous tract of property on which the manufacturing or distribution facility is located.  Only sales of tangible personal property made after June 1, 1988, shall be eligible for the exemption provided by this paragraph.  The exemption authorized pursuant to subparagraph d of this paragraph shall only become effective when the governing body of the municipality in which the enterprise is located approves a resolution expressing the municipality’s support for the construction for such new or expanded facility.  Upon approval by the municipality, the municipality shall forward a copy of such resolution to the Oklahoma Tax Commission;
8.  Sales of tangible personal property purchased and used by a licensed radio or television station in broadcasting.  This exemption shall not apply unless such machinery and equipment is used directly in the manufacturing process, is necessary for the proper production of a broadcast signal or is such that the failure of the machinery or equipment to operate would cause broadcasting to cease.  This exemption begins with the equipment used in producing live programming or the electronic equipment directly behind the satellite receiving dish or antenna, and ends with the transmission of the broadcast signal from the broadcast antenna system.  For purposes of this paragraph, "proper production" shall include, but not be limited to, machinery or equipment required by Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations;
9.  Sales of tangible personal property purchased or used by a licensed cable television operator in cablecasting.  This exemption shall not apply unless such machinery and equipment is used directly in the manufacturing process, is necessary for the proper production of a cablecast signal or is such that the failure of the machinery or equipment to operate would cause cablecasting to cease.  This exemption begins with the equipment used in producing local programming or the electronic equipment behind the satellite receiving dish, microwave tower or antenna, and ends with the transmission of the signal from the cablecast head-end system.  For purposes of this paragraph, "proper production" shall include, but not be limited to, machinery or equipment required by Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations;
10.  Sales of packaging materials for use in packing, shipping or delivering tangible personal property for sale when sold to a producer of agricultural products.  This exemption shall not apply to the sale of any packaging material which is ordinarily known as a returnable container;
11.  Sales of any pattern used in the process of manufacturing iron, steel or other metal castings.  The exemption provided by this paragraph shall be applicable irrespective of ownership of the pattern provided that such pattern is used in the commercial production of metal castings;
12.  Deposits or other charges made and which are subsequently refunded for returnable cartons, crates, pallets, and containers used to transport cement and cement products;
13.  Beginning January 1, 1998, machinery, electricity, fuels, explosives and materials, excluding chemicals, used in the mining of coal in this state; 
14.  Deposits, rent or other charges made for returnable cartons, crates, pallets, and containers used to transport mushrooms or mushroom products from a farm for resale to the consumer or processor; and
15.  Sales of tangible personal property and services used or consumed in all phases of the extraction and manufacturing of crushed stone and sand, including but not limited to site preparation, dredging, overburden removal, explosive placement and detonation, onsite material hauling and/or transfer, material washing, screening and/or crushing, product weighing and site reclamation.
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2009.

52-1-580	JCR	1/12/2009 9:07:51 AM