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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 2709

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2063 Session of 1997


        INTRODUCED BY TRICH, STERN, STURLA, C. WILLIAMS, WALKO,
           VAN HORNE, STABACK, CAPPABIANCA, MELIO, STEELMAN AND
           BELFANTI, DECEMBER 16, 1997

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, DECEMBER 16, 1997

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), entitled "An
     2     act relating to tax reform and State taxation by codifying
     3     and enumerating certain subjects of taxation and imposing
     4     taxes thereon; providing procedures for the payment,
     5     collection, administration and enforcement thereof; providing
     6     for tax credits in certain cases; conferring powers and
     7     imposing duties upon the Department of Revenue, certain
     8     employers, fiduciaries, individuals, persons, corporations
     9     and other entities; prescribing crimes, offenses and
    10     penalties," reducing the rate of corporate net income tax;
    11     and allocating portions of the proceeds of the corporate net
    12     income tax to provide a low-interest loan program for
    13     existing job development and a grant program to assist job
    14     creation projects.

    15     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    16  hereby enacts as follows:
    17     Section 1.  Section 402 of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6,
    18  No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, amended June 30,
    19  1995 (P.L.139, No.21), is amended to read:
    20     Section 402.  Imposition of Tax.--Every corporation shall be
    21  subject to, and shall pay for the privilege of (i) doing
    22  business in this Commonwealth; or (ii) carrying on activities in
    23  this Commonwealth; (iii) having capital or property employed or


     1  used in this Commonwealth; or (iv) owning property in this
     2  Commonwealth, by or in the name of itself, or any person,
     3  partnership, association, limited partnership, joint-stock
     4  association, or corporation, a State excise tax at the rate of
     5  twelve per cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of
     6  such corporation received by, and accruing to, such corporation
     7  during the calendar year 1971 and the first six months of 1972
     8  and at the rate of eleven per cent per annum upon each dollar of
     9  taxable income of such corporation received by, and accruing to,
    10  such corporation during the second six months of calendar year
    11  1972 through the calendar year 1973 and at the rate of nine and
    12  one-half per cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income
    13  of such corporation received by, and accruing to, such
    14  corporation during the calendar years 1974, 1975 and 1976 and at
    15  the rate of ten and one-half per cent per annum upon each dollar
    16  of taxable income of such corporation received by, and accruing
    17  to, such corporation during the calendar year 1977 through the
    18  calendar year 1984 and at the rate of nine and one-half per cent
    19  per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such corporation
    20  received by and accruing to such corporation during the calendar
    21  year 1985 through calendar year 1986 and at the rate of eight
    22  and one-half per cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable
    23  income of such corporation received by and accruing to such
    24  corporation during the calendar year 1987 through the calendar
    25  year 1990 and at the rate of ten and one-half per cent per annum
    26  upon each dollar of taxable income of such corporation received
    27  by and accruing to such corporation during calendar year 1991
    28  through the calendar year 1994 and at the rate of nine and
    29  ninety-nine hundredths per cent per annum upon each dollar of
    30  taxable income of such corporation received by and accruing to
    19970H2063B2709                  - 2 -

     1  such corporation during the calendar year 1995 through the
     2  calendar year 1998 and at the rate of nine and three-fourths per
     3  cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such
     4  corporation received by and accruing to such corporation during
     5  calendar year 1999 and at the rate of nine and one-half per cent
     6  per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such corporation
     7  received by and accruing to such corporation during calendar
     8  year 2000 and during each calendar year thereafter, with an
     9  additional surtax equal to one and seventy-five hundredths per
    10  cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such
    11  corporation received by and accruing to such corporation during
    12  calendar year 1991 and through calendar year 1993 and with an
    13  additional surtax equal to one and forty-nine hundredths per
    14  cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such
    15  corporation received by and accruing to such corporation during
    16  calendar year 1994 and with no surtax during calendar year 1995
    17  and each calendar year thereafter, except where a corporation
    18  reports to the Federal Government on the basis of a fiscal year,
    19  and has certified such fact to the department as required by
    20  section 403 of this article, in which case, such tax, at the
    21  rate of twelve per cent, shall be levied, collected, and paid
    22  upon all taxable income received by, and accruing to, such
    23  corporation during the first six months of the fiscal year
    24  commencing in the calendar year 1972 and at the rate of eleven
    25  per cent, shall be levied, collected, and paid upon all taxable
    26  income received by, and accruing to, such corporation during the
    27  second six months of the fiscal year commencing in the calendar
    28  year 1972 and during the fiscal year commencing in the calendar
    29  year 1973 and at the rate of nine and one-half per cent, shall
    30  be levied, collected, and paid upon all taxable income received
    19970H2063B2709                  - 3 -

     1  by, and accruing to, such corporation during the fiscal year
     2  commencing in the calendar years 1974, 1975 and 1976 and at the
     3  rate of ten and one-half per cent, shall be levied, collected,
     4  and paid upon all taxable income received by, and accruing to,
     5  such corporation during the fiscal year commencing in the
     6  calendar year 1977 through the fiscal year commencing in 1984
     7  and at the rate of nine and one-half per cent, shall be levied,
     8  collected, and paid upon all taxable income received by and
     9  accruing to such corporation during the fiscal year commencing
    10  in 1985 through the fiscal year commencing in 1986 and at the
    11  rate of eight and one-half per cent per annum upon each dollar
    12  of taxable income of such corporation received by and accruing
    13  to such corporation during the fiscal year commencing in 1987
    14  through the fiscal year commencing in 1990 and at the rate of
    15  ten and one-half per cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable
    16  income of such corporation received by and accruing to such
    17  corporation during the fiscal year commencing in 1991 through
    18  the fiscal year commencing in 1994 and at the rate of nine and
    19  ninety-nine hundredths per cent per annum upon each dollar of
    20  taxable income of such corporation received by and accruing to
    21  such corporation during the fiscal year commencing in 1995
    22  through the fiscal year commencing in 1998 and at the rate of
    23  nine and three-fourths per cent per annum upon each dollar of
    24  taxable income of such corporation received by and accruing to
    25  such corporation during the fiscal year commencing in 1999 and
    26  at the rate of nine and one-half per cent per annum upon each
    27  dollar of taxable income of such corporation received by and
    28  accruing to such corporation during the fiscal year commencing
    29  in 2000 and during each fiscal year thereafter, with an
    30  additional surtax equal to one and seventy-five hundredths per
    19970H2063B2709                  - 4 -

     1  cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income of such
     2  corporation received by and accruing to such corporation during
     3  the fiscal year commencing in 1991 and through fiscal year 1993
     4  and with an additional surtax equal to one and forty-nine
     5  hundredths per cent per annum upon each dollar of taxable income
     6  of such corporation received by and accruing to such corporation
     7  during fiscal year 1994 and with no surtax during the fiscal
     8  year commencing in 1995 and each fiscal year thereafter. No
     9  penalty prescribed by subsection (e) of section 3003 shall be
    10  assessed against a corporation for the additional tax which may
    11  be due as a result of the increase in tax rate from nine and
    12  one-half per cent to ten and one-half per cent imposed
    13  retroactively by this section for the calendar year 1977 or for
    14  the fiscal year commencing in 1977.
    15     Section 2.  The act is amended by adding sections to read:
    16     Section 402.2.  Allocation of Tax Revenue to Business
    17  Expansion Loan Fund.--(a)  For the calendar year beginning
    18  January 1, 1998, the Secretary of the Budget shall transfer to
    19  the Business Expansion Loan Fund an amount of money equal to the
    20  revenue raised under section 402 by a tax rate of one-half of
    21  one per cent. For the calendar year beginning January 1, 1999,
    22  the Secretary of the Budget shall transfer to the Business
    23  Expansion Loan Fund an amount of money equal to the revenue
    24  raised under section 402 by a tax rate of one-eighth of one per
    25  cent.
    26     (b)  There is hereby established in the Department of
    27  Community and Economic Development a low-interest loan program
    28  to assist existing businesses which desire to expand operations
    29  within this Commonwealth by offering loans with an interest rate
    30  of two per cent per annum with payments spread over a ten-year
    19970H2063B2709                  - 5 -

     1  period. The Department of Community and Economic Development
     2  shall promulgate regulations relating to:
     3     (1)  Applications.
     4     (2)  Financial assets necessary to secure the loans.
     5     (3)  Repayment provisions and procedures.
     6     (4)  Criteria for the prioritization of loan applicants.
     7     (5)  All other matters necessary to implement and administer
     8  the provisions of this section.
     9     (c)  There is hereby established in the State Treasury the
    10  Business Expansion Loan Fund which shall receive moneys from the
    11  transfer of revenues under subsection (a). The moneys in this
    12  fund are hereby appropriated to the Department of Community and
    13  Economic Development on a continuing basis for use in the
    14  implementation and administration of the low-interest loan
    15  program under subsection (b).
    16     Section 402.3.  Allocation of Tax Revenue to Job Creation
    17  Grant Fund.--(a)  For the calendar year beginning January 1,
    18  1999, the Secretary of the Budget shall transfer to the Job
    19  Creation Grant Fund an amount of money equal to the revenue
    20  raised under section 402 by a tax rate of one-eighth of one per
    21  cent.
    22     (b)  There is hereby established in the Department of
    23  Community and Economic Development a grant program to provide
    24  grants to existing businesses to assist in the creation of new
    25  jobs. The Department of Community and Economic Development shall
    26  promulgate regulations relating to:
    27     (1)  The amount of the grant used to create each new job not
    28  to exceed the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per job.
    29     (2)  The number of jobs created by a grant recipient not to
    30  be less than twenty new jobs over a calendar year.
    19970H2063B2709                  - 6 -

     1     (3)  Applications, forms and other documents necessary to
     2  implement and administer the grant program.
     3     (4)  The amount of time measured in years which each job
     4  created under this program shall exist.
     5     (5)  The return of the grant or any portion thereof if the
     6  grant recipient fails to comply with the provisions of this
     7  section or the regulations of the department.
     8     (6)  All other matters necessary to implement and administer
     9  the provisions of this subsection.
    10     (c)  There is hereby established in the State Treasury the
    11  Job Creation Grant Fund which shall receive moneys from the
    12  transfer of revenues under subsection (a). The moneys in this
    13  fund are hereby appropriated to the Department of Community and
    14  Economic Development on a continuing basis for the
    15  implementation and administration of the job creation grant
    16  program under subsection (b).
    17     Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.









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