(a) Credit allowed. -- A corporation that presently has its corporate headquarters located outside this state that relocates its corporate headquarters in this state and employs, on a full-time basis, at its new corporate headquarters location, at least fifteen people, who are domiciled in this state, shall be allowed credit under this article, the amount of which shall be determined as provided in subsection (b). For corporate headquarters relocations occurring on and after January 1, 1998, the restrictions set forth in subsection (a), section fifteen of this article shall not apply to the credit allowed under this section. However, the restrictions set forth in subsection (a), section fifteen of this article and the exceptions thereto set forth in subsection (b) of said section fifteen, shall remain fully applicable and in force and effect for all other tax credits provided or allowable under this article.
(b) Determination of credit. -- The amount of credit allowed by subsection (a) shall be determined at the election of the taxpayer:
(1) By multiplying its adjusted qualified investment by its new jobs percentage (as determined under section seven of this article); or
(2) By multiplying its adjusted qualified investment by ten percent.
(c) Corporate headquarters relocations after December 31, 1997. -- For purposes of corporate headquarters relocations occurring on or after January 1, 1998, and notwithstanding any other provision of this article to the contrary:
(1) New jobs created in this state by relocation of a corporate headquarters may include jobs created in this state within twelve months before or after the month in which the qualified investment in the corporate headquarters relocation is placed into service or use in this state by:
(A) Relocation or transfer of employees of the corporation or employees of a related corporation or related person from an out-of-state location to the relocated corporate headquarters in this state, who: (i) Are or become employees of the corporation within twelve months before or after the month in which the qualified investment in the corporate headquarters is placed into service or use in this state; and (ii) whose regular place of work is in the corporate headquarters, or
(B) New employees of the corporation whose regular place of work is in the corporate headquarters.
(2) Multiple year projects certified under section four-b of this article may be allowed for corporate headquarters relocations under this section.
(d) Application of credit. -- The credit allowed by this section shall be applied in the manner prescribed in section five of this article: Provided, That the amount of corporation net income taxes against which the credit allowed by this section may be applied shall be the sum of the corporation net income tax due on adjusted federal taxable income allocated to this state under section seven, article twenty-four of this chapter, plus that portion of the corporation net income tax due on adjusted federal taxable income apportioned to this state under section seven, article twenty-four of this chapter, that is further apportioned to the qualified investment using the payroll factor provided in paragraph (1), subsection (h) of said section five or an alternative means of apportionment as prescribed by the Tax Commissioner under said section five. For all other purposes, the credit allowed by this section shall be treated as credit allowed by section four of this article.
(e) Definitions. -- For purposes of this section:
(1) Adjusted qualified investment. -- The term "adjusted qualified investment" means the taxpayer's qualified investment in the corporate headquarters as determined under section six of this article and rules of the Tax Commissioner, plus the cost of the reasonable and necessary expenses it incurred to relocate its corporate headquarters at a location in this state from its present location outside this state.
(2) Corporate headquarters. -- The term "corporate headquarters" means the place at which the corporation has its commercial domicile and from which the business of the corporation is primarily conducted.
(3) Reasonable and necessary expenses incurred to relocate corporate headquarters. -- The phrase "reasonable and necessary expenses incurred to relocate corporate headquarters" means only those expenses incurred and paid by the corporation, to unrelated third parties, to move its corporate headquarters and its corporate headquarters employees to this state that are, upon application by the corporation, determined by the Tax Commissioner to have been both reasonable and necessary to effectuate the move.
(4) The corporation. -- For purposes of this section, the term "the corporation" means the corporation for which the corporate headquarters is relocated.
(f) Effective date. -- The credit allowed by this section as amended in the year 1998 shall be allowable for corporate headquarters placed in service or use on or after January 1, 1998.