SB17X HFLR Page 1 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) ENGROSSED SENATE BILL NO. 17x By: Thompson (Roger) and Hall of the Senate and Wallace and Martinez of the House An Act relating to revenue and taxation; amending 68 O.S. 2021, Section 2357.104, which relates to certain railroad rehabilitation tax credits; modifying taxable year references; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 68 O.S. 2021, Section 2 357.104, is amended to read as f ollows: Section 2357.104. A. Except as otherwise provided by this section, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005, and ending before January 1, 2025 2030, there shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed by Section 2355 of this title equal to fifty percent (50%) of an eligible taxpayer ’s qualified railroad reconstruction or replacement expenditures. B. For tax years 2020 th rough 2024 2029, the amount of the credit shall be limited to the product of Five Thousand Dollars SB17X HFLR Page 2 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ($5,000.00) and the number of miles of railroad track owned or leased within this s tate by the eligible taxpayer as of the close of the taxable year. C. The credit allowed pursuant to subsection A of this sec tion but not used shall be freely transferable, by written ag reement, to subsequent transferees at any time during the five (5) ye ars following the year of qualification. An eligible transferee shall be any taxpayer subject to the tax imposed by Section 2 355 of this title. The person originally allowed the credit and the subsequent transferee shall jointly file a copy of the writte n credit transfer agreement with the Oklahoma Tax Commission within thirty (30) days of the transfer. The written agreement s hall contain the name, address and taxpayer identification nu mber of the parties to the transfer, the amount of credit being trans ferred, the year the credit was originally allowed to the transferring per son and the tax year or years for which the credit m ay be claimed. The Tax Commission shall promulgate rules to permit verification of the timeliness of a tax credit claimed upon a tax return pursuant to this subsection but shall not promulgate any rules which unduly restrict or hinder the transfers of suc h tax credit. The Department of Transportation shall promulg ate rules to permit verification of the eligibility of an eligible ta xpayer’s expenditures for the purpose of claiming the credit. The rules s hall provide for the approval of qualified railroad reconstruction or replacement SB17X HFLR Page 3 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 expenditures prior to commencem ent of a project and provide a certificate of verification upon compl etion of a project that uses qualified railroad reconstruction or replacem ent expenditures. The certificate of verification s hall satisfy all requirements of the Tax Commission pertainin g to the eligibility of the person claiming the credit. D. Any credits allowed pursuant to the provisions of subsection A of this section but not used in any tax year may be carried over in order to each of the five (5) years following the year of qualification. E. As used in this section: 1. “Class II and Class III rail road” means a railroad that is classified by the United States Surface Tra nsportation Board as a Class II or Class III railroa d; 2. “Eligible taxpayer” means any Class II or Class III railroad; and 3. “Qualified railroad reconstruction or replacement expenditures” means expenditures for: a. track maintenance, natural disasters , and reconstruction or replacement of railroad infrastructure including track, roadbed, crossings, bridges, industrial leads and track-related structures owned or leased by a Class II or Class III railroad as of January 1, 2006, or SB17X HFLR Page 4 BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 b. new construction of industrial leads, switches, spurs and sidings and extensions of existing sidings by a Class II or Class III railr oad. F. The total amount of credits authorized by this section used to offset tax shall be adjusted annually to limit the annual amount of credits to Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) for tax years 2018 and 2019 and Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) for tax year 2020 and all subsequent tax years. The Tax Commission s hall annually calculate and publish a percentage by which the credits auth orized by this section shall be reduced so the total amount of credits used to offset tax does not exceed the app licable annual limit. The formula to be used for the percentage adju stment shall be the applicable annual limit divided by the credits claimed in the second preceding year. G. Pursuant to subse ction F of this section, in the event the total tax credits authorized by this section exceed the annual applicable limit in any c alendar year, the Tax Commission shall permit any excess over the annual a pplicable limit but shall factor such excess into the percentage adjustment formula for subsequent years. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective N ovember 1, 2023. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON JOINT COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND BUDGET, dated 05/ 23/2023 – DO PASS, As Amended.