Legislature(2017 - 2018)ADAMS ROOM 519

04/13/2018 09:00 AM House FINANCE

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
+= SB 78 PERM FUND DIVIDEND CONTRIBUTIONS/LOTTERY TELECONFERENCED
Scheduled but Not Heard
+= HB 399 CORP. TAX: REMOVE EXEMPTIONS/CREDITS TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSHB 399(FIN) Out of Committee
+= SB 155 REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL MNGMT. COMPANIES TELECONFERENCED
Moved HCS CSSB 155(L&C) Out of Committee
-- Public Testimony --
HOUSE BILL NO. 399                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  disallowing a federal  tax credit as  a credit                                                                    
     against  the  corporate  net income  tax;  repealing  a                                                                    
     provision allowing  the exclusion of  certain royalties                                                                    
     accrued  or  received  from  foreign  corporations  for                                                                    
     purposes  of the  corporate net  income tax;  repealing                                                                    
     the  reduced rate  for the  alternative tax  on capital                                                                    
     gains  for corporations;  repealing  an exemption  from                                                                    
     filing a return under the  corporate net income tax for                                                                    
     a corporation  engaged in a  contract under  the Alaska                                                                    
     Stranded  Gas Development  Act;  and  providing for  an                                                                    
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:08:17 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster reported that HB  399 was heard in committee                                                                    
on April 9, 2018.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
BRODIE   ANDERSON,   STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE   NEAL   FOSTER,                                                                    
provided a  brief summary of  the bill. The  bill eliminated                                                                    
the  following indirect  expenditures: federal  tax credits,                                                                    
foreign royalty exclusions, reduced  rate for capital gains,                                                                    
and  credit  associated  with  the  Stranded  Gas  Act.  The                                                                    
original version  of the bill would  have captured potential                                                                    
lost revenue in the amount  of $6.9 million but would change                                                                    
if a proposed amendment was adopted.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
10:09:58 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson  MOVED to  ADOPT Amendment 1  (copy on                                                                    
file):                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
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          "*  Section  l. AS  43.20.021  (d)  is amended  to                                                                    
          read:                                                                                                                 
          (d)  Where a  credit  allowed  under the  Internal                                                                    
          Revenue Code  is also allowed in  computing Alaska                                                                    
          income tax,  it is  limited to  18 percent  of the                                                                  
          portion  of  the  federal   tax  credit  that  was                                                                  
          generated  by business  expenses incurred  through                                                                  
          activities   conducted    in   the    state   [FOR                                                                  
          CORPORATIONS   OF   THE   AMOUNT  OF   CREDIT   12                                                                    
          DETERMINED FOR  FEDERAL INCOME TAX  PURPOSES WHICH                                                                    
          IS ATTRIBUTABLE  TO ALASKA]. This  limitation does                                                                    
          not apply  to a  special industrial  incentive tax                                                                    
          credit under AS 43.20.042."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
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          43.20.036(b), 43 920.042,"                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
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Vice-Chair Gara OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson  spoke to  her amendment.  She thanked                                                                    
Co-Chair  Foster for  his assistance  on the  amendment. She                                                                    
favored eliminating  credits but was opposed  to eliminating                                                                    
federal credits that benefitted the state of Alaska.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Anderson  responded  that  the  amendment  was  a  good                                                                    
compromise.  He  explained  that the  idea  behind  indirect                                                                    
expenditures  was to  identify  and  capture potential  lost                                                                    
revenue by eliminating  indirect expenditures. The amendment                                                                    
helped corporations keep money in the state.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Gara  did not understand the  amendment and asked                                                                    
the  Department  of Revenue  (DOR)  to  further explain  the                                                                    
amendment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
10:11:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
KEN ALPER,  DIRECTOR, TAX  DIVISION, DEPARTMENT  OF REVENUE,                                                                    
relayed  that  the  intent  of the  amendment  was  that  18                                                                    
percent  of any  credit that  a company  earned against  its                                                                    
federal  corporate  income  tax  could  be  applied  against                                                                    
Alaska  corporate  income  tax.   The  bill  eliminated  the                                                                    
credit. He furhtered  that Representative Wilson's amendment                                                                    
allowed  the credit  if it  was  earned for  an activity  in                                                                    
Alaska but maintained  the elimination if it  was earned for                                                                    
activity in states other than Alaska.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
BRANDON   S.   SPANOS,   DEPUTY  DIRECTOR,   TAX   DIVISION,                                                                    
DEPARTMENT  OF  REVENUE  (via teleconference),  thought  Mr.                                                                    
Alper had  done a  good job of  explaining that  any current                                                                    
company in Alaska that earned  a federal credit for activity                                                                    
in any state  could deduct 18 percent of  the credit against                                                                    
their Alaskan  corporate tax.  The original  bill eliminated                                                                    
the credit  completely. The  amendment allowed  that portion                                                                    
of  credit earned  for activity  in Alaska  to be  deducted.                                                                    
Essentially  the  amendment  was  "converting"  any  federal                                                                    
credit to an Alaska credit.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Gara  asked what the  positive revenue  impact to                                                                    
the state was  from the amendment. Mr.  Alper responded that                                                                    
the fiscal note  showed a breakdown by  component of revenue                                                                    
estimates from the bill on  page 2. The department estimated                                                                    
the revenue  gained at  $1.8 million  for the  tax component                                                                    
related to the amendment. Some  fraction of the amount would                                                                    
be  in lost  revenue  but  felt that  it  would  be a  small                                                                    
amount. The  ratio of a company's  Alaskan activity compared                                                                    
to their national  activity was tiny. He  estimated that the                                                                    
amendment would  reduce the revenue  impact by  roughly $200                                                                    
thousand. Vice-Chair  Gara asked  whether the  other revenue                                                                    
gains  would remain  the same.  Mr. Alper  responded in  the                                                                    
affirmative.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:15:19 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Spanos interjected  that he  had just  talked with  the                                                                    
corporate  income  tax  supervisor and  relayed  that  there                                                                    
would  be   an  updated  fiscal  note   forthcoming  if  the                                                                    
amendment passed. He  countered that the impact  could be as                                                                    
high  as  one-third  of  the  $1.8 million  or  up  to  $600                                                                    
thousand.  He  elaborated  that the  Enhanced  Oil  Recovery                                                                    
(EOR) tax credits for the oil  and gas industry added to the                                                                    
deduction as the price of oil increased.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Guttenberg inquired  whether the credit would                                                                    
spur  more activity  in Alaska.  Mr. Alper  was unsure  what                                                                    
federal corporate  income tax credits existed.  He indicated                                                                    
that  to  the  extent  companies were  earning  credits  for                                                                    
activity in Alaska;  the amendment did not  add anything but                                                                    
did  not  take anything  away  either.  The amendment  would                                                                    
continue to  earn the credit  for the activity in  the state                                                                    
but would not remove any incentives.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
10:18:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson  commented that  the amendment  was an                                                                    
incentive.  She believed  that the  amendment  would act  as                                                                    
another incentive to do business  in Alaska when compared to                                                                    
other states.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Gara WITHDREW his OBJECTION.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, Amendment 1 was ADOPTED.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Seaton mentioned the reduced  rate on capital gains                                                                    
represented the  largest portion of revenue  at $3.4 million                                                                    
but might  be reduced based on  a change to the  federal tax                                                                    
code for the alternative tax  on capital gains. Mr. Anderson                                                                    
explained that the  bill was drafted before  the federal tax                                                                    
reform was passed that repealed  the federal alternative tax                                                                    
on capital  gains. The  bill also  had repealed  the reduced                                                                    
rate on capital  gains so the $3.4 million  in revenue gains                                                                    
remained intact.  He deferred to the  department for further                                                                    
clarification.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Alper  explained  that  the   section  in  the  state's                                                                    
corporate income  tax statute that  referred to a  lower tax                                                                    
rate for capital  gains was repealed in HB  399 and remained                                                                    
unchanged.  He understood  that the  bill's original  intent                                                                    
was  to  repeal  the  preferential  rate  on  capital  gains                                                                    
however,  since the  federal government's  repeal, the  bill                                                                    
was merely  removing outdated  language that  referenced the                                                                    
federal alternative  tax on capital gains.  He believed that                                                                    
the language in the bill  would clarify the issue. He stated                                                                    
that  whether  the  language  in   the  bill  was  currently                                                                    
necessary since the federal law changed was a "gray area."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster  surmised that the  $3.4 million  in revenue                                                                    
gains should remain in the  bill. Mr. Alper responded in the                                                                    
affirmative.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:21:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair   Gara  reviewed   the  fiscal   note  from   the                                                                    
Department of  Revenue. He noted  that the zero  fiscal note                                                                    
from DOR, FN1  (REV), was allocated to the  Tax Division and                                                                    
estimated $3.45  million in  revenue for half  of FY  19 and                                                                    
$6.9 million in  the out years. He noted  that the amendment                                                                    
would change  and show  a slight decrease  in revenue  in an                                                                    
updated forthcoming fiscal note.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Seaton  MOVED to  report  CSHB  399 (FIN)  out  of                                                                    
Committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal note.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  399(FIN) was  REPORTED  out of  committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass" recommendation  and with a  new fiscal impact  note by                                                                    
the Department of Revenue.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Foster reviewed  the  schedule  for the  following                                                                    
meeting. [The meeting was recessed  to the call of the chair                                                                    
but never reconvened.]                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB 78 - Amendment #1.pdf HFIN 4/13/2018 9:00:00 AM
SB 78
HB 399 - Amendment #1.pdf HFIN 4/13/2018 9:00:00 AM
HB 399