(a) For each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 1998, there shall be allowed a credit against the “net tax” (as defined in Section 17039) to a qualified taxpayer for hiring a qualified disadvantaged individual during the taxable year for employment in the manufacturing enhancement area. The credit shall be equal to the sum of each of the following:
(1) Fifty percent of the qualified wages in the first year of employment.
(2) Forty percent of the qualified wages in the second year of employment.
(3) Thirty percent of the qualified wages in the third year of employment.
(4) Twenty percent of the qualified wages in the fourth year of employment.
(5) Ten percent of the 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 disadvantaged individuals that does not exceed 150 percent of the minimum wage.
(B) The total amount of qualified wages which may be taken into account for purposes of claiming the credit allowed under this section shall not exceed two million dollars ($2,000,000) per taxable year.
(C) Wages received during the 60-month period beginning with the first day the qualified disadvantaged individual 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 taxpayer does not constitute commencement of employment for purposes of this section.
(D) Qualified wages do not include any wages paid or incurred by the qualified taxpayer on or after the manufacturing enhancement area expiration date. However, wages paid or incurred with respect to qualified employees who are employed by the qualified taxpayer within the manufacturing enhancement area within the 60-month period prior to the manufacturing enhancement area expiration date shall continue to qualify for the credit under this section after the manufacturing enhancement area expiration date, in accordance with all provisions of this section applied as if the manufacturing enhancement 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) “Manufacturing enhancement area” means an area designated pursuant to Section 7073.8 of the Government Code according to the procedures of Chapter 12.8 (commencing with Section 7070) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(4) “Manufacturing enhancement area expiration date” means the date the manufacturing enhancement area designation expires, is no longer binding, becomes inoperative, or is repealed.
(5) “Qualified disadvantaged individual” means an individual who satisfies all of the following requirements:
(A) (i) At least 90 percent of whose 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 manufacturing enhancement area.
(ii) Who performs at least 50 percent of his or her services for the qualified taxpayer during the taxable year in the manufacturing enhancement area.
(B) Who is hired by the qualified taxpayer after the designation of the area as a manufacturing enhancement area in which the individual’s services were primarily performed.
(C) Who is any of the following immediately preceding the individual’s commencement of employment with the qualified taxpayer:
(i) An individual who has been determined eligible for services under the federal Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1501 et seq.), or its successor.
(ii) Any voluntary or mandatory registrant under the Greater Avenues for Independence Act of 1985, or its successor, as provided pursuant to Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(iii) Any individual who has been certified eligible by the Employment Development Department under the federal Targeted Jobs Tax Credit Program, or its successor, whether or not this program is in effect.
(6) “Qualified taxpayer” means any taxpayer engaged in a trade or business within a manufacturing enhancement area designated pursuant to Section 7073.8 of the Government Code and who meets all of the following requirements:
(A) Is engaged in those lines of business described in Codes 0211 to 0291, inclusive, Code 0723, or in Codes 2011 to 3999, inclusive, of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual published by the United States Office of Management and Budget, 1987 edition.
(B) At least 50 percent of the qualified taxpayer’s workforce hired after the designation of the manufacturing enhancement area is composed of individuals who, at the time of hire, are residents of the county in which the manufacturing enhancement area is located.
(C) Of this percentage of local hires, at least 30 percent shall be qualified disadvantaged individuals.
(7) “Seasonal employment” means employment by a qualified taxpayer that has regular and predictable substantial reductions in trade or business operations.
(c) (1) For purposes of this section, all of the following apply:
(A) All employees of trades or businesses that are under common control shall be treated as employed by a single qualified taxpayer.
(B) The credit (if any) allowable by this section with respect to each trade or business 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) Principles that apply in the case of controlled groups of corporations, as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 23622.7, shall apply with respect to determining employment.
(2) If a qualified taxpayer 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 (d)) for any calendar year ending after that acquisition, the employment relationship between a qualified disadvantaged individual and a qualified taxpayer shall not be treated as terminated if the qualified disadvantaged individual continues to be employed in that trade or business.
(d) (1) (A) If the employment, other than seasonal employment, of any qualified disadvantaged individual, with respect to whom qualified wages are taken into account under subdivision (b) 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 qualified disadvantaged individual 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 qualified disadvantaged individual.
(B) If the seasonal employment of any qualified disadvantaged individual, 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 disadvantaged individual 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 disadvantaged individual 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 disadvantaged individual.
(2) (A) Subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) does not apply to any of the following:
(i) A termination of employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual who voluntarily leaves the employment of the qualified taxpayer.
(ii) A termination of employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual who, before the close of the period referred to in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), becomes disabled to perform the services of that employment, unless that disability is removed before the close of that period and the taxpayer fails to offer reemployment to that individual.
(iii) A termination of employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual, 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 individual.
(iv) A termination of employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual due to a substantial reduction in the trade or business operations of the qualified taxpayer.
(v) A termination of employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual, if that individual is replaced by other qualified disadvantaged individuals so as to create a net increase in both the number of employees and the hours of employment.
(B) Subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall not apply to any of the following:
(i) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual who voluntarily fails to return to the seasonal employment of the qualified taxpayer.
(ii) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual 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 disadvantaged individual.
(iii) A failure to continue the seasonal employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual, 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 disadvantaged individual.
(iv) A failure to continue seasonal employment of a qualified disadvantaged individual 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 disadvantaged individual, if that qualified disadvantaged individual is replaced by other qualified disadvantaged individuals 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 disadvantaged individual shall not be treated as terminated by reason of a mere change in the form of conducting the trade or business of the qualified taxpayer, if the qualified disadvantaged individual continues to be employed in that trade or business and the qualified taxpayer retains a substantial interest in that trade or business.
(3) Any 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.
(e) In the case of an estate or trust, both of the following apply:
(1) The qualified wages for any taxable year shall be apportioned between the estate or trust and the beneficiaries on the basis of the income of the estate or trust allocable to each.
(2) Any beneficiary to whom any qualified wages have been apportioned under paragraph (1) shall be treated (for purposes of this part) as the employer with respect to those wages.
(f) The credit shall be reduced by the credit allowed under Section 17053.7. The credit shall also be reduced by the federal credit allowed under Section 51 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-343).
In addition, any deduction otherwise allowed under this part for the wages or salaries paid or incurred by the qualified taxpayer upon which the credit is based shall be reduced by the amount of the credit, prior to any reduction required by subdivision (g) or (h).
(g) In the case where the credit otherwise allowed under this section exceeds the “net tax” for the taxable year, that portion of the credit that exceeds the “net 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.
(h) (1) The amount of credit otherwise allowed under this section, including prior year credit carryovers, that may reduce the “net tax” for the taxable year shall not exceed the amount of tax that would be imposed on the qualified taxpayer’s business income attributed to a manufacturing enhancement area determined as if that attributed income represented all of the net 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 manufacturing enhancement area. For that purpose, the taxpayer’s business income that is attributable to sources in this state first shall be determined in accordance with Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 25101) of Part 11. That business income shall be further apportioned to the manufacturing enhancement area in accordance with Article 2 (commencing with Section 25120) of Chapter 17 of Part 11, modified for purposes of this section in accordance with paragraph (3).
(3) Income shall be apportioned to a manufacturing enhancement 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 manufacturing enhancement 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 manufacturing enhancement 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 “net tax” for the taxable year, as provided in subdivision (g). 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 “net tax” for the taxable year, as provided in subdivision (g).
(i) If the taxpayer is allowed a credit pursuant to this section for qualified wages paid or incurred, only one credit shall be allowed to the taxpayer under this part with respect to any wage consisting in whole or in part of those qualified wages.
(j) 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 manufacturing enhancement area, a certification that provides that a qualified disadvantaged individual meets the eligibility requirements specified in paragraph (5) 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 governing the issuance of certificates pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 7086 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.
(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 manufacturing enhancement 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 the provisions of this section, as amended by the act adding this subdivision.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 359, Sec. 3. (AB 154) Effective September 30, 2015. Inoperative, with exception, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, as prescribed in subd. (k). Repealed as of December 1, 2019, by its own provisions.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018