(a) There is exempted from the taxes imposed by this part qualified property for use in space flight.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Qualified property” means any of the following:
(A) Tangible personal property, whether raw materials, work in process or finished goods, that has, or upon manufacture, assembly, or installation has, space flight capacity, including, but not limited to, an orbital space facility, space propulsion system, space vehicle, launch vehicle, satellite, or space station of any kind, and any component thereof, regardless of whether that property is to be ultimately returned to this state.
(B) Fuel of a quality that is not adaptable for use in ordinary motor vehicles, but is produced, sold, and used exclusively for space flight.
(2) “Space flight” means any flight designed for suborbital, orbital, or interplanetary travel by a space vehicle, satellite, space facility, or space station of any kind.
(c) The exemption established by this section shall not be denied by reason of failure, postponement, or cancellation of a launch of a space vehicle, satellite, space facility, or space station of any kind, or the destruction of any launch vehicle or any component thereof, but the exemption shall not apply to any material that is not intended to be launched into space.
(d) This section shall be operative from the January 1, 2014, lien date to, and including, the January 1, 2024, lien date, and is inoperative for any lien date thereafter.
(e) A taxpayer shall provide, upon request of the assessor, evidence that the qualified property exempted from the taxes imposed by this part pursuant to this section has been or will be used as described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).
(f) The exemption provided by this section from the taxes imposed by this part shall be limited to taxpayers that have a primary business purpose in space flight activities.
(g) This section shall remain in effect only until July 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed.
(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 13, Sec. 1. (AB 777) Effective April 29, 2014. Operative from the January 1, 2014, lien date, by subd. (d). Inoperative after the January 1, 2024, lien date, as provided in subd. (d). Repealed as of July 1, 2025, by its own provisions.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018