SENATE BILL No. 340

 

 

March 25, 2003, Introduced by Senator JOHNSON and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1967 PA 281, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Income tax act of 1967,"                                                   

                                                                                

    by amending section 51a (MCL 206.51a), as amended by 1996 PA 484,           

                                                                                

    and by adding section 269.                                                  

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 51a.  (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this                  

                                                                                

2   act and for tax years beginning after December 31, 1996, an                 

                                                                                

3   eligible taxpayer may elect to pay the tax imposed by this act              

                                                                                

4   calculated by multiplying taxable compensation, less an amount              

                                                                                

5   equal to the personal and dependency exemptions allowed as a                

                                                                                

6   subtraction under section 30(2), (3), and (4), by the rate                  

                                                                                

7   established in section 51.                                                  

                                                                                

8       (2) Except as provided in subsection (1), an eligible                       

                                                                                

9   taxpayer who elects to pay the tax imposed by this act calculated           

                                                                                

10  under this section shall not claim any exemption, deduction, or             

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   credit allowed under this act other than the credits allowed                

                                                                                

2   under all of the following sections:                                        

                                                                                

3       (a) The credit for taxes withheld under section 251.                        

                                                                                

4       (b) The prescription drug credit under section 273.                         

                                                                                

5       (b)  (c)  The home heating credit under section 527a.                       

                                                                                

6       (c) The fire safety credit under section 269.                               

                                                                                

7       (3) An eligible taxpayer who elects to pay the tax imposed by               

                                                                                

8   this act calculated under this section is not required to file an           

                                                                                

9   annual return under this act.                                               

                                                                                

10      (4) An eligible taxpayer who files a withholding exemption                  

                                                                                

11  certificate to elect to pay the tax imposed by this act                     

                                                                                

12  calculated under this section may file an annual return and pay             

                                                                                

13  the tax calculated under section 51.                                        

                                                                                

14      (5) The statute of limitations provided in  Act No. 122 of                  

                                                                                

15  the Public Acts of 1941, being sections 205.1 to 205.31 of the              

                                                                                

16  Michigan Compiled Laws  1941 PA 122, MCL 205.1 to 205.31, begins            

                                                                                

17  to run on the date that the annual return is due for the tax year           

                                                                                

18  for which the taxpayer has filed an election to pay the tax                 

                                                                                

19  imposed by this act calculated under this section.                          

                                                                                

20      (6) The department may enforce the collection of the tax                    

                                                                                

21  imposed under this act and calculated under this section to the             

                                                                                

22  extent the tax withheld under section 351 is less than the tax              

                                                                                

23  imposed by this act and calculated under this section.                      

                                                                                

24      (7) For the 1998 tax year and each year after 1998 that the                 

                                                                                

25  no-form option allowed under this section is in effect, the                 

                                                                                

26  department shall file a report not later than July 1 with the               

                                                                                

27  house tax policy committee and the senate finance committee that            


                                                                                

1   contains all of the following information about the taxpayers who           

                                                                                

2   elect to pay the tax imposed by this act pursuant to this                   

                                                                                

3   section:                                                                    

                                                                                

4       (a) The total number of taxpayers.                                          

                                                                                

5       (b) The number of taxpayers by county and city.                             

                                                                                

6       (c) The average income of the taxpayers.                                    

                                                                                

7       (8) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

8       (a) "Eligible taxpayer" means a resident who meets both of                  

                                                                                

9   the following criteria:                                                     

                                                                                

10                                                                               (i) Has income for the tax year in total or from any 1                              

                                                                                

11  source, other than taxable compensation or income described in              

                                                                                

12  subdivision (b),  (i), (ii), or (iii),  of less than $100.00 for               

                                                                                

13  a single return or $200.00 for a joint return.                              

                                                                                

14      (ii) Has filed a withholding exemption certificate to elect                  

                                                                                

15  to pay the tax imposed by this act calculated under this section            

                                                                                

16  for the tax year.                                                           

                                                                                

17      (b) "Taxable compensation" means compensation from which tax                

                                                                                

18  has been withheld pursuant to section 351(1) or (7), except the             

                                                                                

19  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

20                                                                               (i) Compensation described in section 30(1)(e) or                                   

                                                                                

21  30(1)(f)(i).                                                                

                                                                                

22      (ii) Social security benefits as defined in section 86 of the                

                                                                                

23  internal revenue code.                                                      

                                                                                

24      (iii) Retirement benefits, pension benefits, or benefits from                

                                                                                

25  a retirement annuity policy in which payments are made for life             

                                                                                

26  to a senior citizen, other than benefits described in section               

                                                                                

27  30(1)(e) or 30(1)(f)(i), or described in section 86 of the                  


                                                                                

1   internal revenue code, not to exceed the amounts allowed as a               

                                                                                

2   deduction under section 30(1)(f)(v).                                        

                                                                                

3       Sec. 269.  (1) For tax years that begin after December 31,                  

                                                                                

4   2002, a taxpayer may claim a credit against the tax imposed by              

                                                                                

5   this act equal to the cost paid by the taxpayer in the tax year             

                                                                                

6   for fire extinguishers, fire alarm systems, and fire suppression            

                                                                                

7   equipment.  Subject to subsection (3), the credit allowed for a             

                                                                                

8   taxpayer under this section shall not exceed $100.00 or $200.00             

                                                                                

9   for a joint return.                                                         

                                                                                

10      (2) The total amount of all credits allowed under this                      

                                                                                

11  section for each tax year shall not exceed $10,000,000.00.                  

                                                                                

12      (3) The department shall allow credits claimed by taxpayers                 

                                                                                

13  whose household income is 150% or less of the federal poverty               

                                                                                

14  guidelines published annually in the federal register by the                

                                                                                

15  United States department of health and human services under its             

                                                                                

16  authority to revise the poverty line under section 673(2) of                

                                                                                

17  subtitle B of title VI of the omnibus budget reconciliation act             

                                                                                

18  of 1981, Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. 9902.  Credits shall be                

                                                                                

19  allowed on a first claimed basis up to the maximum under                    

                                                                                

20  subsection (2).  All credits under this subsection shall be                 

                                                                                

21  allowed before credits under subsection (4) are allowed.                    

                                                                                

22      (4) Credits claimed by taxpayers other than taxpayers                       

                                                                                

23  described in subsection (3) shall be allowed after the credits              

                                                                                

24  under subsection (3) are allowed up to the maximum under                    

                                                                                

25  subsection (2).                                                             

                                                                                

26      (5) If the maximum amount under subsection (2) is less than                 

                                                                                

27  the full amount needed to allow all credits under subsection (3),           


                                                                                

1   each individual credit claimed under subsection (3) shall be                

                                                                                

2   reduced by multiplying the credit amount claimed by each taxpayer           

                                                                                

3   by a fraction, the numerator of which is $10,000,000.00 and the             

                                                                                

4   denominator of which is the total amount claimed by all taxpayers           

                                                                                

5   under subsection (3).  If the maximum amount under subsection (2)           

                                                                                

6   less the amount allowed under subsection (3) is less than the               

                                                                                

7   full amount needed to allow all credits under subsection (4),               

                                                                                

8   each individual credit claimed under subsection (4) shall be                

                                                                                

9   reduced by multiplying the credit amount claimed by each taxpayer           

                                                                                

10  by a fraction, the numerator of which is $10,000,000.00 less the            

                                                                                

11  amount allowed under subsection (3) and the denominator of which            

                                                                                

12  is the total amount claimed by all taxpayers under                          

                                                                                

13  subsection (4).                                                             

                                                                                

14      (6) If the credit allowed under this section exceeds the tax                

                                                                                

15  liability of the taxpayer for the tax year, that portion of the             

                                                                                

16  credit that exceeds the tax liability shall be refunded.                    

                                                                                

17      (7) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

18      (a) "Fire alarm system" means a system designed to detect and               

                                                                                

19  annunciate the presence of fire, or by-products of fire.  Fire              

                                                                                

20  alarm system includes smoke detectors.                                      

                                                                                

21      (b) "Fire suppression equipment" means equipment that, as a                 

                                                                                

22  result of a predetermined temperature, rate of temperature rise,            

                                                                                

23  or product of combustion, flame, or human intervention, will                

                                                                                

24  discharge a fire extinguishing substance over a fire area.  Fire            

                                                                                

25  suppression equipment includes automatic fire sprinkler systems.