Senate Bill sb0194c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194

    By the Committee on Commerce; and Senator Margolis





    577-1901-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to tax credits for certain

  3         taxpayer expenditures to promote employee

  4         fitness; creating s. 220.1925, F.S.; providing

  5         a credit against the tax on corporate income

  6         for certain taxpayer expenditures relating to

  7         providing employee fitness facilities or

  8         supporting fitness-related activities by

  9         employees; defining terms; amending s. 220.02,

10         F.S.; providing the order in which credits

11         against the corporate income tax shall be

12         taken; amending s. 220.13, F.S.; adding the

13         amount taken as a credit under s. 220.1925,

14         F.S., to adjusted federal income; creating s.

15         624.5108, F.S.; providing a credit against the

16         tax on insurers for employee fitness costs, as

17         defined in this act, which are incurred by an

18         insurer; amending s. 624.509, F.S.; providing

19         for the order of credits against the tax on

20         insurers; providing an effective date.

21  

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

23  

24         Section 1.  Section 220.1925, Florida Statutes, is

25  created to read:

26         220.1925  Employee fitness tax credits.--

27         (1)  AUTHORIZATION TO GRANT TAX CREDITS; LIMITATIONS.--

28         (a)  A taxpayer shall be allowed a credit against any

29  tax due for a taxable year under this chapter equal to 10

30  percent of the taxpayer's expenditures during the taxable year

31  for:

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         1.  The costs of equipping, operating, and maintaining

 2  a facility owned by the taxpayer, located on the taxpayer's

 3  premises, and used exclusively for the purpose of promoting

 4  the physical fitness of the taxpayer's employees in this

 5  state, including, but not limited to, a gymnasium, weight

 6  training room, aerobics workout space, swimming pool, running

 7  track, or any indoor or outdoor court, field, or other site

 8  used for competitive sports events or games;

 9         2.  The costs, to the extent not covered in

10  subparagraph 1., of equipping and providing any related

11  financial support for an amateur athletic team that engages in

12  vigorous athletic activity and is under the sponsorship of the

13  taxpayer, either alone or jointly with one or more other

14  employers, if the membership of the team consists entirely of

15  employees of the taxpayer in this state or the taxpayer and

16  another employer or employers with whom the taxpayer has

17  joined to provide employee fitness equipment and financial

18  support;

19         3.  The cost of subsidizing an employee's membership to

20  a health studio as defined in s. 501.0125 and located in

21  Florida; and

22         4.  Fifty percent of the cost of employing a qualified

23  person or organization that employs a qualified person to

24  provide, on the taxpayer's business premises in this state:

25         a.  Information and guidance on subjects relating to

26  personal and family health, such as nutrition, hygiene, and

27  methods of preventing, recognizing, and combating substance

28  abuse; or

29         b.  Instruction in and opportunity for fitness

30  enhancement activity, including, but not limited to, dance or

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  other aerobic exercise, yoga, muscle stretching, and martial

 2  arts routines.

 3         (b)  Credits authorized under this section for any

 4  taxpayer may not exceed 50 percent of the tax due under this

 5  chapter for any taxable year.

 6         (c)  Credits authorized under this section for any

 7  taxpayer may not exceed $50 multiplied by the average of the

 8  number of full-time equivalent employees of the taxpayer in

 9  this state as of the last day of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th

10  months of the taxable year.

11         (d)  Two or more taxpayers may join together to

12  establish and operate an employee fitness facility, provide

13  employee fitness equipment and financial support, or provide

14  employee fitness instruction in accordance with this section.

15  The participating taxpayers may apportion the annual employee

16  fitness credits in any manner they consider appropriate, but a

17  jointly operated employee fitness facility established under

18  this section may not receive more than $50 multiplied by the

19  average of the number of full-time equivalent employees of the

20  participating taxpayers in this state as of the last day of

21  the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the taxable year.

22         (e)  A taxpayer, or two or more taxpayers acting

23  jointly, may employ a not-for-profit or for-profit corporation

24  to:

25         1.  Operate an employee fitness facility;

26         2.  Provide employee fitness equipment and financial

27  support; or

28         3.  Provide employee fitness instruction,

29  

30  on the taxpayer's premises in this state.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         (f)  If the credit granted under this section is not

 2  fully used in any one year because of insufficient tax

 3  liability on the part of the corporation, the unused amount

 4  may be carried forward for a period not to exceed 5 years. The

 5  carryover credit may be used in a subsequent year when the tax

 6  imposed by this chapter for that year exceeds the credit for

 7  which the corporation is eligible in that year under this

 8  section after applying the other credits and unused carryovers

 9  in the order provided by s. 220.02(8).

10         (g)  A taxpayer that files a consolidated return in

11  this state as a member of an affiliated group under s. 220.131

12  may be allowed the credit on a consolidated return basis.

13         (h)  A taxpayer that is eligible to receive credit

14  under s. 624.5108 is ineligible to receive credit under this

15  section.

16         (i)  An expenditure by a taxpayer to provide any of the

17  employee fitness benefits described in paragraph (a) does not

18  qualify for a credit under this section unless the benefit is

19  extended equally to all full-time employees in this state.

20         (j)  Credits authorized under this section are not

21  available to any professional sports franchise or facility or

22  to any taxpayer whose primary business activity is operating a

23  fitness facility or providing any services eligible for

24  credits under this section.

25         (2)  ADMINISTRATION.--

26         (a)  The Department of Revenue shall adopt rules and

27  forms necessary to administer this section, including rules to

28  provide for cooperative arrangements between taxpayers and

29  not-for-profit or for-profit corporations.

30         (b)  Verification of payments to a not-for-profit or

31  for-profit corporation or to a person who provides health or

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  fitness instruction to a taxpayer's employees must be in

 2  writing and must be retained by the taxpayer in support of the

 3  credit claimed on the tax return.

 4         (c)  Application for credit for payments made to

 5  construct or rehabilitate a facility used for the purpose of

 6  promoting the physical fitness of the taxpayer's employees in

 7  this state must be submitted to the department within 6 months

 8  after the local building inspector deems that the construction

 9  or rehabilitation of the facility is substantially completed.

10  Application for credit for eligible expenditures pursuant to

11  paragraph (1)(a) must be submitted to the department with the

12  tax return on which the credit is claimed.

13         (d)  A business that files an amended return for a

14  taxable year may not receive any amount of credit or credit

15  carryforward pursuant to this section in excess of the amount

16  claimed by the business on its original return for the taxable

17  year. This subsection does not apply to increases in the

18  amount of credit claimed under this section on an amended

19  return due to the use of any credit amount previously carried

20  forward for the taxable year on the original return or any

21  eligible prior year under paragraph (1)(f).

22         (3)  EXPIRATION.--This section expires on December 31,

23  2017, except that paragraph (1)(f), which relates to carryover

24  credits, does not expire on that date.

25         (4)  DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term:

26         (a)  "Amateur athletic team" means a team of persons

27  who engage in competitive athletic events for which no

28  monetary remuneration is provided, all of whom are employed by

29  the taxpayer or an employer with whom the taxpayer has joined

30  to provide employee fitness equipment and financial support.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         (b)  "Qualified person" means a person holding a state

 2  license and working within his or her scope of practice who is

 3  certified by a recognized national organization to provide the

 4  instruction for which a tax credit is being sought. In the

 5  case of fitness instruction, for which licensure does not

 6  exist, the term means a person who holds a minimum of an

 7  associate's degree from an accredited university in a

 8  health-related or fitness-related field or at least one

 9  current fitness-instruction certification from a certifying

10  organization or agency that has at least begun third-party

11  accreditation of its certification procedures and protocols

12  from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or an

13  equivalent accrediting organization recognized by the Council

14  for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States

15  Department of Education.

16         (c)  "Vigorous athletic activity" means exertion that

17  makes a person sweat and breathe hard, such as basketball,

18  soccer, running, swimming laps, fast bicycling, fast dancing,

19  and similar aerobic activities.

20         Section 2.  Subsection (8) of section 220.02, Florida

21  Statutes, is amended to read:

22         220.02  Legislative intent.--

23         (8)  It is the intent of the Legislature that credits

24  against either the corporate income tax or the franchise tax

25  be applied in the following order: those enumerated in s.

26  631.828, those enumerated in s. 220.191, those enumerated in

27  s. 220.181, those enumerated in s. 220.183, those enumerated

28  in s. 220.182, those enumerated in s. 220.1895, those

29  enumerated in s. 221.02, those enumerated in s. 220.184, those

30  enumerated in s. 220.186, those enumerated in s. 220.1845,

31  those enumerated in s. 220.19, those enumerated in s. 220.185,

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  those enumerated in s. 220.187, those enumerated in s.

 2  220.192, and those enumerated in s. 220.193, and those

 3  enumerated in s. 220.1925.

 4         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

 5  220.13, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

 6         220.13  "Adjusted federal income" defined.--

 7         (1)  The term "adjusted federal income" means an amount

 8  equal to the taxpayer's taxable income as defined in

 9  subsection (2), or such taxable income of more than one

10  taxpayer as provided in s. 220.131, for the taxable year,

11  adjusted as follows:

12         (a)  Additions.--There shall be added to such taxable

13  income:

14         1.  The amount of any tax upon or measured by income,

15  excluding taxes based on gross receipts or revenues, paid or

16  accrued as a liability to the District of Columbia or any

17  state of the United States which is deductible from gross

18  income in the computation of taxable income for the taxable

19  year.

20         2.  The amount of interest which is excluded from

21  taxable income under s. 103(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or

22  any other federal law, less the associated expenses disallowed

23  in the computation of taxable income under s. 265 of the

24  Internal Revenue Code or any other law, excluding 60 percent

25  of any amounts included in alternative minimum taxable income,

26  as defined in s. 55(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, if the

27  taxpayer pays tax under s. 220.11(3).

28         3.  In the case of a regulated investment company or

29  real estate investment trust, an amount equal to the excess of

30  the net long-term capital gain for the taxable year over the

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  amount of the capital gain dividends attributable to the

 2  taxable year.

 3         4.  That portion of the wages or salaries paid or

 4  incurred for the taxable year which is equal to the amount of

 5  the credit allowable for the taxable year under s. 220.181.

 6  This subparagraph shall expire on the date specified in s.

 7  290.016 for the expiration of the Florida Enterprise Zone Act.

 8         5.  That portion of the ad valorem school taxes paid or

 9  incurred for the taxable year which is equal to the amount of

10  the credit allowable for the taxable year under s. 220.182.

11  This subparagraph shall expire on the date specified in s.

12  290.016 for the expiration of the Florida Enterprise Zone Act.

13         6.  The amount of emergency excise tax paid or accrued

14  as a liability to this state under chapter 221 which tax is

15  deductible from gross income in the computation of taxable

16  income for the taxable year.

17         7.  That portion of assessments to fund a guaranty

18  association incurred for the taxable year which is equal to

19  the amount of the credit allowable for the taxable year.

20         8.  In the case of a nonprofit corporation which holds

21  a pari-mutuel permit and which is exempt from federal income

22  tax as a farmers' cooperative, an amount equal to the excess

23  of the gross income attributable to the pari-mutuel operations

24  over the attributable expenses for the taxable year.

25         9.  The amount taken as a credit for the taxable year

26  under s. 220.1895.

27         10.  Up to nine percent of the eligible basis of any

28  designated project which is equal to the credit allowable for

29  the taxable year under s. 220.185.

30         11.  The amount taken as a credit for the taxable year

31  under s. 220.187.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         12.  The amount taken as a credit for the taxable year

 2  under s. 220.192.

 3         13.  The amount taken as a credit for the taxable year

 4  under s. 220.193.

 5         14.  The amount taken as a credit under s. 220.1925.

 6         Section 4.  Section 624.5108, Florida Statutes, is

 7  created to read:

 8         624.5108  Employee fitness tax credits; definitions;

 9  authorization; limitations; eligibility and application

10  requirements; administration; expiration.--

11         (1)  DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section, the term:

12         (a)  "Amateur athletic team" means a team of persons

13  who engage in competitive athletic events for which no

14  monetary remuneration is provided, all of whom are employed by

15  the taxpayer or an employer with whom the taxpayer has joined

16  to provide employee fitness equipment and financial support.

17         (b)  "Department" means the Department of Revenue.

18         (c)  "Employee fitness costs" means:

19         1.  The costs of equipping, operating, and maintaining

20  a facility owned by the taxpayer, located on the taxpayer's

21  premises, and used exclusively for the purpose of promoting

22  the physical fitness of the taxpayer's employees in this

23  state, including, but not limited to, a gymnasium, weight

24  training room, aerobics workout space, swimming pool, running

25  track, or any indoor or outdoor court, field, or other site

26  used for competitive sports events or games;

27         2.  The costs, to the extent not covered in

28  subparagraph 1., of equipping and providing any related

29  financial support for an amateur athletic team that engages in

30  vigorous athletic activity under the sponsorship of the

31  taxpayer, either alone or jointly with one or more other

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  employers, if the membership of the team consists entirely of

 2  employees of the taxpayer in this state or the taxpayer and

 3  another employer or employers, as appropriate; and

 4         3.  The cost of subsidizing an employee's membership to

 5  a health studio as defined in s. 501.0125 and located in

 6  Florida; and

 7         4.  Fifty percent of the cost of employing a qualified

 8  person or organization that employs a qualified person to

 9  provide, on the taxpayer's business premises in this state:

10         a.  Information and guidance on subjects relating to

11  personal and family health, such as nutrition, hygiene, and

12  methods of preventing, recognizing, and combating substance

13  abuse; or

14         b.  Instruction in and opportunity for fitness

15  enhancement activity, including, but not limited to, dance or

16  other aerobic exercise, yoga, muscle stretching, and martial

17  arts routines.

18         (d)  "Qualified person" means a person holding a state

19  license and working within his or her scope of practice who is

20  certified by a recognized national organization to provide the

21  instruction for which a tax credit is being sought. In the

22  case of fitness instruction, for which licensure does not

23  exist, the term means a person who holds a minimum of an

24  associate's degree from an accredited university in a

25  health-related or fitness-related field or at least one

26  current fitness-instruction certification from a certifying

27  organization or agency that has at least begun third-party

28  accreditation of its certification procedures and protocols

29  from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or an

30  equivalent accrediting organization recognized by the Council

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States

 2  Department of Education.

 3         (e)  "Vigorous athletic activity" means exertion that

 4  makes a person sweat and breathe hard, such as basketball,

 5  soccer, running, swimming laps, fast bicycling, fast dancing,

 6  and similar aerobic activities.

 7         (2)  AUTHORIZATION TO GRANT TAX CREDITS; LIMITATIONS.--

 8         (a)  A credit of 10 percent of employee fitness costs

 9  incurred by an insurer during the taxable year is allowed

10  against any tax due for a taxable year under ss. 624.509 and

11  624.510.

12         (b)  Credits authorized under this section for any

13  taxpayer may not exceed 50 percent of the tax due under this

14  chapter for any taxable year.

15         (c)  Credits authorized under this section for any

16  taxpayer may not exceed $50 multiplied by the average of the

17  number of full-time equivalent employees of the insurer in

18  this state as of the last day of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th

19  months of the taxable year.

20         (d)  Two or more taxpayers may join together to

21  establish and operate an employee fitness facility, provide

22  employee fitness equipment and financial support, or provide

23  employee fitness instruction in accordance with this section.

24  The participating taxpayers may apportion the annual employee

25  fitness credits in any manner they consider appropriate, but a

26  jointly operated employee fitness facility established under

27  this section may not receive more than $50 multiplied by the

28  average of the number of full-time equivalent employees of the

29  participating taxpayers in this state as of the last day of

30  the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the taxable year.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         (e)  A taxpayer, or two or more taxpayers acting

 2  jointly, may employ a not-for-profit or for-profit corporation

 3  to:

 4         1.  Operate an employee fitness facility;

 5         2.  Provide employee fitness equipment and financial

 6  support; or

 7         3.  Provide employee fitness instruction,

 8  

 9  on the taxpayer's premises in this state.

10         (f)  If the credit granted under this section is not

11  fully used in any one year because of insufficient tax

12  liability on the part of the insurer, the unused amount may be

13  carried forward for a period not to exceed 5 years. The

14  carryover credit may be used in a subsequent year when the tax

15  imposed by ss. 624.509 and 624.510 for that year exceeds the

16  credit for which the insurer is eligible in that year under

17  this section.

18         (3)  An expenditure by an insurer to provide any of the

19  employee fitness benefits described in paragraph (1)(a) does

20  not qualify for a credit under this section unless the benefit

21  is extended equally to all full-time employees in this state.

22         (4)  ADMINISTRATION.--

23         (a)  The Department of Revenue shall adopt rules and

24  forms necessary to administer this section, including rules to

25  provide for cooperative arrangements between taxpayers and

26  not-for-profit or for-profit corporations.

27         (b)  Verification of payments to a not-for-profit or

28  for-profit corporation or to a person who provides health or

29  fitness instruction to a taxpayer's employees must be in

30  writing and must be retained by the taxpayer in support of the

31  credit claimed on the tax return.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1         (c)  Application for credit for payments made to

 2  construct or rehabilitate a facility used for the purpose of

 3  promoting the physical fitness of a taxpayer's employees in

 4  this state must be submitted to the department within 6 months

 5  after the construction or rehabilitation of the facility is

 6  deemed to be substantially completed by the local building

 7  code inspector. Application for credit for eligible

 8  expenditures pursuant to paragraph (2)(a) must be submitted to

 9  the department with the tax return on which the credit is

10  claimed.

11         (d)  An insurer that files an amended return for a

12  taxable year is not allowed any amount of credit or credit

13  carryforward pursuant to this section in excess of the amount

14  claimed by such insurer on its original return for the taxable

15  year. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to

16  increases in the amount of credit claimed under this section

17  on an amended return due to the use of any credit amount

18  previously carried forward for the taxable year on the

19  original return or any eligible prior year under paragraph

20  (2)(f).

21         (5)  EXPIRATION.--This section expires on December 31,

22  2017, except that paragraph (2)(f), which relates to carryover

23  credits, does not expire on that date.

24         Section 5.  Subsection (7) of section 624.509, Florida

25  Statutes, is amended to read:

26         624.509  Premium tax; rate and computation.--

27         (7)  Credits and deductions against the tax imposed by

28  this section shall be taken in the following order: deductions

29  for assessments made pursuant to s. 440.51; credits for taxes

30  paid under ss. 175.101 and 185.08; credits for income taxes

31  paid under chapter 220, the emergency excise tax paid under

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 194
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 1  chapter 221, and the credit allowed under subsection (5), as

 2  these credits are limited by subsection (6); employee fitness

 3  tax credits authorized under s. 624.5108; and all other

 4  available credits and deductions.

 5         Section 6.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2008,

 6  and shall apply to tax years beginning on or after that date.

 7  

 8          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 9                         Senate Bill 194

10                                 

11  The Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 194 differs from the
    bill as filed in the following ways:
12  
    -    Replaces the definition of "qualified person" to include
13       additional and alternative requirements for
         health/fitness education of licensure; and
14  
    -    Clarifies that organizations hired by employers to
15       provide fitness/wellness training at the work site must
         have a "qualified person" on staff.
16  

17  

18  

19  

20  

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

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