HB357INTRODUCED Page 0 DYUXNH-1 By Representative Almond RFD: Ways and Means Education First Read: 20-Apr-23 1 2 3 4 5 DYUXNH-1 02/24/2023 JRF (F)JRF 2023-497 Page 1 SYNOPSIS: This bill would establish the Alabama Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act to authorize and provide a tax credit for qualified taxpayers owning an interest in a qualified workforce housing project located in the State of Alabama. A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to the state income tax; to establish the Alabama Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act; to create the Alabama Workforce Housing Tax Credit for qualified workforce housing projects; to define certain terms; to provide for minimum and maximum annual award amounts for qualified projects; to allow the tax credits to be claimed for 10 years against the income tax liability of a qualified taxpayer; to allow carryforward for earned but unused tax credits; to require a minimum of the annual award cycle cap be awarded for qualified projects located in areas designated as rural by the authority; and to require the Alabama Housing Finance Authority to implement and administer the provisions of this act. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the Alabama Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act. Section 2. For the purposes of this act, the following terms and phrases have the following meanings: (1) ALABAMA TAX LIABILITY. The taxes otherwise due under Sections 27-3-29, 27-4A-3, 40-16-4, or 40-18-2, Code of Alabama 1975. An insurance company claiming a workforce housing tax credit against the taxes, licenses, and other fees, fines, and penalties imposed, including any retaliatory tax imposed on insurance companies by Section 27-3-29, Code of Alabama 1975, shall not be required to pay any additional tax as a result of claiming the tax credit. The workforce housing tax credit may fully offset any retaliatory tax imposed by the Code of Alabama 1975. A reduction in the taxes of a foreign insurance company to the extent obtained through a claim for credit under this act does not increase the retaliatory tax liability otherwise charged against that company. (2) AUTHORITY. The Alabama Housing Finance Authority or its successor agency. (3) AWARD. The issuance by the authority of either of the following: a. A reservation letter pursuant to the qualified allocation plan. b. A declaration of official intent pursuant to the Multifamily Housing Revenue Bond Policy, for workforce housing tax credits to a qualified project during an award cycle, the amount of which award shall be claimed in each year of the 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 3 credit period. (4) AWARD CYCLE. Each fiscal year or other 12-month period designated by the authority over which the authority awards workforce housing tax credits to qualified projects. (5) AWARD CYCLE CAP. The sum of all of the following: a. Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for each year of the 10-year credit period prescribed in 26 U.S.C. § 42(f)(1). b. The amount, if any, by which the award cycle cap prescribed by this act for the preceding award cycle exceeds the workforce housing tax credits awarded by the authority in that award cycle. c. The amount of workforce housing tax credits recaptured or otherwise disallowed under Section 3(e) in the preceding fiscal year. (6) CREDIT PERIOD. The 10-year credit period as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 42(f)(1), subject to the special rule for the first year of the credit period as set forth in 26 U.S.C. § 42(f)(2). (7) DEPARTMENT. The Department of Revenue, or its successor agency. (8) ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATE. A certificate issued by the authority to the owner of a qualified project certifying that such project is a qualified project that qualifies for the workforce housing tax credit authorized by this act and specifying the annual amount of workforce housing tax credits that may be claimed in each year of the credit period. The authority shall issue an eligibility certificate to a 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 4 qualified project upon the authority's approval of a final cost certification that complies with the authority's requirements. (9) FEDERAL LOW-INCOME HOUSING CREDIT or FEDERAL CREDIT. The federal tax credit as provided in 26 U.S.C. § 42. (10) FOUR PERCENT QUALIFIED PROJECT. A qualified project that is eligible for federal low-income housing tax credits pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 42(h)(4). (11) MULTIFAMILY HOUSING REVENUE BOND POLICY. The authority's policy, in effect from time to time, respecting allocation of tax-exempt bond volume cap for affordable multifamily housing. (12) QUALIIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN. As defined in 26 U.S.C. § 42(m)(1)(B), subject to such additions and modifications necessary to implement this act. (13) QUALIFIED PROJECT. A qualified low-income building, as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 42(c), that is located in the State of Alabama, is eligible for the federal low-income housing tax credit, and is placed in service on or after January 1, 2024. (14) QUALIFIED TAXPAYER. A taxpayer owning an interest, directly or indirectly through one or more pass-through entities, in a qualified project at any time prior to filing a tax return claiming a workforce housing tax credit. (15) TAXPAYER. An individual, corporation, S corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, financial institution, fiduciary and trusts, or 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 5 insurer. (16) WORKFORCE HOUSING TAX CREDIT or TAX CREDIT. The tax credit created by this act. Section 3. (a) For applications for federal credits submitted to the authority on and after January 1, 2024, the authority, upon approving a federal low-income housing tax credit for a qualified project pursuant to the authority's qualified allocation plan or Multifamily Housing Revenue Bond Policy, may award a workforce housing tax credit under this act to the owner of the qualified project so long as doing so will not result in exceeding the award cycle cap prescribed by this subsection. The workforce housing tax credit shall be in an amount determined by the authority to be necessary for the financial feasibility of the qualified project and consistent with the authority's qualified allocation plan and Multifamily Housing Revenue Bond Policy, as applicable, but the annual award for each qualified project shall not be less than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) nor greater than two million dollars ($2,000,000). The authority shall send written notice of the award to the owner of the qualified project. The award notice shall state the amount of workforce housing tax credit awarded for each year of the qualified project's credit period and stipulate that receipt of the tax credit is contingent upon issuance of an eligibility certificate. Upon issuance of an eligibility certificate, a workforce housing tax credit shall be allowed for the qualified project for each year of the credit period in the amount specified in the eligibility certificate. The total amount of tax credit awards 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 6 made by the authority under this chapter in each award cycle shall not exceed the award cycle cap. (b) A qualified taxpayer may claim a workforce housing tax credit against its Alabama tax liability prior to reduction by any other credits allowed the qualified taxpayer. The tax credit may be allocated by pass-through entities to some or all of its partners, members, or shareholders, including any not-for-profit entity that is a partner, member, or shareholder, in any manner agreed to by such persons, regardless of whether or not any such person is allocated or allowed any portion of any federal low-income housing tax credit with respect to the qualified project, whether the allocation of the tax credit under the terms of the agreement has substantial economic effect within the meaning of 26 U.S.C. § 704(b), and whether any such person is deemed a partner for federal income tax purposes as long as the partner or member would be considered a partner or member under applicable state law governing such entity, and has been admitted as a partner or member on or prior to the date for filing the qualified taxpayer's tax return, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the year of the tax credit. Such pass-through entities or qualified taxpayer may assign all or any part of its interest, including its interest in the tax credits, to one or more pass-through entities or qualified taxpayers, and the qualified taxpayer shall be able to claim the tax credit so long as its interest is acquired prior to the filing of its tax return claiming the tax credit. If the tax credit is used to offset financial institution 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 7 excise tax, the offset shall be limited to the state portion of the financial institution excise tax. (c) The tax credit authorized by this act shall not be refundable. Any tax credit not used in a taxable year may be carried forward by a qualified taxpayer for the succeeding five years. (d) A qualified taxpayer claiming a workforce housing tax credit shall submit a copy of the eligibility certificate at the time of filing its tax return with the department. If the owner of the qualified project has applied to the authority for the eligibility certificate but the authority has not yet issued the eligibility certificate at the time the qualified taxpayer files its original tax return claiming the tax credit, the qualified taxpayer may claim the tax credit based upon the amount of tax credit set forth in the award issued to the qualified project, and shall amend its tax return to include the eligibility certificate upon its receipt. If the amount of tax credit in the eligibility certificate is different than the amount of tax credit previously claimed, the qualified taxpayer shall adjust the tax credit amount claimed on the amended tax return. (e) If under 26 U.S.C. § 42, a portion of any federal low-income housing credits taken on a qualified project is required to be recaptured or is otherwise disallowed during the credit period, the qualified taxpayer claiming workforce housing tax credits with respect to the qualified project shall also be required to recapture a portion of any tax credits authorized by this act. The percentage of workforce 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 8 housing tax credits subject to recapture shall be equal to the percentage of federal low-income housing credits subject to recapture or otherwise disallowed during such period. Any tax credits recaptured or disallowed shall increase the income tax liability of the qualified taxpayer who claimed the tax credits in a like amount and shall be included on the tax return of the qualified taxpayer submitted for the taxable year in which the recapture or disallowance event is identified. The owner of the qualified project shall report any recapture event to the department, authority, and, in the same manner done for recapture of federal low-income housing credits, to the qualified taxpayer, if the project owner is not the qualified taxpayer. (f) For each award cycle, the authority shall award at least 20 percent but not more than 25 percent of the award cycle cap to qualified projects located in areas designated as rural by the authority, and the balance of the remaining available award cycle cap to four percent qualified projects without any geographic limitation. Section 4. The authority shall administer the workforce housing tax credit program and shall be authorized to adopt the regulations, guidelines, and qualified allocation plans necessary to implement and administer this act. The workforce housing tax credit authorized by this act shall not be available to taxpayers which submit an application for federal low-income housing tax credits for a qualified project after September 30, 2026. No action or inaction on the part of the Legislature shall reduce or suspend the tax credits authorized 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 9 by this act in any past or future calendar year with respect to a qualified project if the application to the authority was substantially complete on or prior to September 30, 2026, even if the award is made after such date, the qualified project is placed in service after September 30, 2026, or the first workforce housing credits are available to the qualified taxpayer after September 30, 2026. The authority shall adopt by July 31, 2023, any and all regulations, guidelines, and qualified allocation plans necessary to implement this act. Section 5. The tax credit created pursuant to this act shall only be claimed with respect to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. The tax credit provided in this act shall be subject to the reporting requirements of Section 40-1-50, Code of Alabama 1975. The department may adopt rules for the implementation and administration of this act. Section 6. In connection with the adoption of qualified allocation plans insofar as they relate to the workforce housing tax credit by the authority, the authority shall consult with the Alabama Department of Commerce concerning its priorities for the location and type, including new construction, rehabilitation, or both, of multifamily housing which will support economic development efforts and the creation of stable, good-paying jobs in the State of Alabama. It is the desire of the Legislature that the efforts of the Alabama Department of Commerce in seeking to create jobs will be generally supported by the creation of multifamily rental housing opportunities supported by the workforce housing tax credit. 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 HB357 INTRODUCEDHB357 INTRODUCED Page 10 Section 7. This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law. 253 254 255