Senate Bill 1894

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1894

    By Senator Sebesta





    20-1078-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to tax on sales, use, and other

  3         transactions; amending s. 212.08, F.S.;

  4         providing that machinery and equipment used by

  5         an expanding facility engaged in spaceport

  6         activities or by certain expanding

  7         manufacturing facilities are totally exempt

  8         from said tax in any year in which the tax

  9         liability thereon exceeds $25,000; providing an

10         effective date.

11

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section

15  212.08, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

16         212.08  Sales, rental, use, consumption, distribution,

17  and storage tax; specified exemptions.--The sale at retail,

18  the rental, the use, the consumption, the distribution, and

19  the storage to be used or consumed in this state of the

20  following are hereby specifically exempt from the tax imposed

21  by this chapter.

22         (5)  EXEMPTIONS; ACCOUNT OF USE.--

23         (b)  Machinery and equipment used to increase

24  productive output.--

25         1.  Industrial machinery and equipment purchased for

26  exclusive use by a new business in spaceport activities as

27  defined by s. 212.02 or for use in new businesses which

28  manufacture, process, compound, or produce for sale items of

29  tangible personal property at fixed locations are exempt from

30  the tax imposed by this chapter upon an affirmative showing by

31  the taxpayer to the satisfaction of the department that such

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1894
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  1  items are used in a new business in this state. Such purchases

  2  must be made prior to the date the business first begins its

  3  productive operations, and delivery of the purchased item must

  4  be made within 12 months of that date.

  5         2.a.  Industrial machinery and equipment purchased for

  6  exclusive use by an expanding facility which is engaged in

  7  spaceport activities as defined by s. 212.02 or for use in

  8  expanding manufacturing facilities or plant units which

  9  manufacture, process, compound, or produce for sale items of

10  tangible personal property at fixed locations in this state

11  are exempt from the any amount of tax imposed by this chapter

12  in any excess of $50,000 per calendar year in which the

13  taxpayer is liable for more than $25,000 in tax imposed by

14  this chapter on such machinery and equipment, upon an

15  affirmative showing by the taxpayer to the satisfaction of the

16  department that such items are used to increase the productive

17  output of such expanded facility or business by not less than

18  10 percent, subject to the provisions of sub-subparagraph 3.e.

19         b.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this

20  section, industrial machinery and equipment purchased for use

21  in expanding printing manufacturing facilities or plant units

22  that manufacture, process, compound, or produce for sale items

23  of tangible personal property at fixed locations in this state

24  are exempt from any amount of tax imposed by this chapter upon

25  an affirmative showing by the taxpayer to the satisfaction of

26  the department that such items are used to increase the

27  productive output of such an expanded business by not less

28  than 10 percent.

29         3.a.  To receive an exemption provided by subparagraph

30  1. or subparagraph 2., a qualifying business entity shall

31  apply to the department for a temporary tax exemption permit.

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  1  The application shall state that a new business exemption or

  2  expanded business exemption is being sought. Upon a tentative

  3  affirmative determination by the department pursuant to

  4  subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2., the department shall issue

  5  such permit.

  6         b.  The applicant shall be required to maintain all

  7  necessary books and records to support the exemption. Upon

  8  completion of purchases of qualified machinery and equipment

  9  pursuant to subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2., the temporary

10  tax permit shall be delivered to the department or returned to

11  the department by certified or registered mail.

12         c.  If, in a subsequent audit conducted by the

13  department, it is determined that the machinery and equipment

14  purchased as exempt under subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2.

15  did not meet the criteria mandated by this paragraph or if

16  commencement of production did not occur, the amount of taxes

17  exempted at the time of purchase shall immediately be due and

18  payable to the department by the business entity, together

19  with the appropriate interest and penalty, computed from the

20  date of purchase, in the manner prescribed by this chapter.

21         d.  In the event a qualifying business entity fails to

22  apply for a temporary exemption permit or if the tentative

23  determination by the department required to obtain a temporary

24  exemption permit is negative, a qualifying business entity

25  shall receive the exemption provided in subparagraph 1. or

26  subparagraph 2. through a refund of previously paid taxes. No

27  refund may be made for such taxes unless the criteria mandated

28  by subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. have been met and

29  commencement of production has occurred.

30         e.  Once a qualifying business entity has paid $25,000

31  in taxes in a calendar year as specified in sub-subparagraph

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  1  2.a. and has met all other requirements of this paragraph, and

  2  commencement of production has occurred, the business entity

  3  is eligible for the total exemption provided by that

  4  sub-subparagraph for that calendar year through a refund of

  5  previously paid taxes.

  6         4.  The department shall promulgate rules governing

  7  applications for, issuance of, and the form of temporary tax

  8  exemption permits; provisions for recapture of taxes; and the

  9  manner and form of refund applications and may establish

10  guidelines as to the requisites for an affirmative showing of

11  increased productive output, commencement of production, and

12  qualification for exemption.

13         5.  The exemptions provided in subparagraphs 1. and 2.

14  do not apply to machinery or equipment purchased or used by

15  electric utility companies, communications companies, oil or

16  gas exploration or production operations, publishing firms

17  that do not export at least 50 percent of their finished

18  product out of the state, any firm subject to regulation by

19  the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of

20  Business and Professional Regulation, or any firm which does

21  not manufacture, process, compound, or produce for sale items

22  of tangible personal property or which does not use such

23  machinery and equipment in spaceport activities as required by

24  this paragraph. The exemptions provided in subparagraphs 1.

25  and 2. shall apply to machinery and equipment purchased for

26  use in phosphate or other solid minerals severance, mining, or

27  processing operations only by way of a prospective credit

28  against taxes due under chapter 211 for taxes paid under this

29  chapter on such machinery and equipment.

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  1         6.  For the purposes of the exemptions provided in

  2  subparagraphs 1. and 2., these terms have the following

  3  meanings:

  4         a.  "Industrial machinery and equipment" means "section

  5  38 property" as defined in s. 48(a)(1)(A) and (B)(i) of the

  6  Internal Revenue Code, provided "industrial machinery and

  7  equipment" shall be construed by regulations adopted by the

  8  Department of Revenue to mean tangible property used as an

  9  integral part of spaceport activities or of the manufacturing,

10  processing, compounding, or producing for sale of items of

11  tangible personal property. Such term includes parts and

12  accessories only to the extent that the exemption thereof is

13  consistent with the provisions of this paragraph.

14         b.  "Productive output" means the number of units

15  actually produced by a single plant or operation in a single

16  continuous 12-month period, irrespective of sales. Increases

17  in productive output shall be measured by the output for 12

18  continuous months immediately following the completion of

19  installation of such machinery or equipment over the output

20  for the 12 continuous months immediately preceding such

21  installation. However, if a different 12-month continuous

22  period of time would more accurately reflect the increase in

23  productive output of machinery and equipment purchased to

24  facilitate an expansion, the increase in productive output may

25  be measured during that 12-month continuous period of time if

26  such time period is mutually agreed upon by the Department of

27  Revenue and the expanding business prior to the commencement

28  of production; provided, however, in no case may such time

29  period begin later than 2 years following the completion of

30  installation of the new machinery and equipment. The units

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1894
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  1  used to measure productive output shall be physically

  2  comparable between the two periods, irrespective of sales.

  3         7.  Notwithstanding any other provision in this

  4  paragraph to the contrary, in order to receive the exemption

  5  provided in this paragraph a taxpayer must register with the

  6  WAGES Program Business Registry established by the local WAGES

  7  coalition for the area in which the taxpayer is located.  Such

  8  registration establishes a commitment on the part of the

  9  taxpayer to hire WAGES program participants to the maximum

10  extent possible consistent with the nature of their business.

11         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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14                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

15
      Provides that machinery and equipment used by an
16    expanding facility engaged in spaceport activities or by
      certain expanding manufacturing facilities are totally
17    exempt from sales tax in any year in which the tax
      liability thereon exceeds $25,000. Present law exempts
18    such machinery and equipment from taxes in excess of
      $50,000 per year.
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