HOUSE BILL No. 5505

 

December 13, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Accavitti, Wojno, Miller and Cushingberry and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1967 PA 281, entitled

 

"Income tax act of 1967,"

 

(MCL 206.1 to 206.532) by adding section 275.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 275. (1) For tax years that begin after December 31,

 

2005, a taxpayer may claim a credit against the tax imposed under

 

this act equal to the cost paid in the tax year of a computer

 

system, application computer software, operating system software,

 

or system software that is used exclusively in the taxpayer's home

 

not to exceed $1,000.00, if the taxpayer has a child living in that

 

home who is less than 18 years of age and who the taxpayer claims

 

as a dependent under section 30(2) for the tax year in which the

 

credit under this section is claimed.

 

     (2) The credit under this section shall be claimed by a

 


taxpayer only once every 5 years.

 

     (3) If the amount of the credit allowed under this section

 

exceeds the tax liability of the taxpayer for the tax year, that

 

portion of the credit that exceeds the tax liability shall not be

 

refunded.

 

     (4) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Application computer software" means a set of statements

 

or instructions that when incorporated in a machine usable medium

 

is capable of causing a machine or device having information

 

processing capabilities to indicate, perform, or achieve a

 

particular business function, task, or result for the nontechnical

 

end user. Application computer software includes any other computer

 

software that does not qualify under subdivision (b) or (c).

 

     (b) "Operating system software" means a set of statements or

 

instructions that when incorporated into a machine or device having

 

information processing capabilities is an interface between the

 

computer hardware and the application computer software or system

 

software.

 

     (c) "System software" means a set of statements or

 

instructions that interacts with operating system software that is

 

developed, licensed, and intended for the exclusive use of data

 

processing professionals to build, test, manage, or maintain

 

application computer software for which a license agreement is

 

signed by the licensor and licensee at the time of the transfer of

 

the software and that is not transferred to the licensee as part of

 

or in conjunction with a sale or lease of computer hardware.