Bill Text: NJ S1266 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns eligible municipalities under the urban transit hub credit.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-30 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S1266 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1266-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns eligible municipalities under the urban transit hub credit.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning eligible municipalities under the urban transit hub credit, amending P.L.2007, c.346.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-208) is amended to read as follows:
2. As used in this act:
"Affiliate" means an entity that directly or indirectly controls, is under common control with, or is controlled by the business. Control exists in all cases in which the entity is a member of a controlled group of corporations as defined pursuant to section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.s.1563) or the entity is an organization in a group of organizations under common control as defined pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.s.414). A taxpayer may establish by clear and convincing evidence, as determined by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, that control exists in situations involving lesser percentages of ownership than required by those statutes. An affiliate of a business may contribute to meeting either the qualified investment or full-time employee requirements of a business that applies for a credit under section 3 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-209).
"Authority" means the New Jersey Economic Development Authority established by section 4 of P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-4).
"Business" means a corporation that is subject to the tax imposed pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1945, c.162 (C.54:10A-5), a corporation that is subject to the tax imposed pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of P.L.1945, c.132 (C.54:18A-2 and 54:18A-3), section 1 of P.L.1950, c.231 (C.17:32-15) or N.J.S.17B:23-5, or is a partnership, an S corporation, or a limited liability corporation. A business shall include an affiliate of the business if that business applies for a credit based upon any capital investment made by or full-time employees of an affiliate.
"Capital investment" in a qualified business facility means expenses incurred after, but before the end of the eighth year after, the effective date of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.) for: a. the site preparation and construction, repair, renovation, improvement, equipping, or furnishing of a building, structure, facility or improvement to real property; and b. obtaining and installing furnishings and machinery, apparatus or equipment for the operation of a business in a building, structure, facility or improvement to real property.
"Eligible municipality" means a municipality: (1) which qualifies for State aid pursuant to P.L.1978, c.14 (C.52:27D-178 et seq.) or which was continued to be a qualified municipality thereunder pursuant to P.L.2007, c.111; and (2) (a) in which 30 percent or more of the value of real property was exempt from local property taxation during tax year 2006, or (b) in which the New Jersey Turnpike intersects the Garden State Parkway. The percentage of exempt property shall be calculated by dividing the total exempt value by the sum of the net valuation which is taxable and that which is tax exempt.
"Full-time employee" means a person employed by the business for consideration for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, or a person who is employed by a professional employer organization pursuant to an employee leasing agreement between the business and the professional employer organization, in accordance with P.L.2001, c.260 (C.34:8-67 et seq.) for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, and whose wages are subject to withholding as provided in the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. or an employee who is a resident of another State but whose income is not subject to the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. or who is a partner of a business who works for the partnership for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, and whose distributive share of income, gain, loss, or deduction, or whose guaranteed payments, or any combination thereof, is subject to the payment of estimated taxes, as provided in the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. "Full-time employee" shall not include any person who works as an independent contractor or on a consulting basis for the business.
"Mixed use project" means a project comprising both a qualified business facility and a qualified residential project.
"Partnership" means an entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
"Professional employer organization" means an employee leasing company registered with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development pursuant to P.L.2001, c.260 (C.34:8-67 et seq.).
"Qualified business facility" means any building, complex of buildings or structural components of buildings, and all machinery and equipment located within a designated urban transit hub in an eligible municipality, used in connection with the operation of a business.
"Qualified residential project" shall have the meaning ascribed to that term under section 34 of P.L.2009, c.90 (C.34:1B-209.2).
"Residential unit" means a residential dwelling unit such as a rental apartment, a condominium or cooperative unit, a hotel room, or a dormitory room.
"Urban transit hub" means:
a. (1) property located within a 1/2 mile radius surrounding the mid point of a New Jersey Transit Corporation, Port Authority Transit Corporation or Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation rail station platform area, including all light rail stations, and
(2) property located within a one mile radius of the mid point of the platform area of such a rail station if the property is in a qualified municipality under the "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act," P.L.2002, c.43 (C.52:27BBB-1 et seq.) or in an area that is the subject of a Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and
(3) the site of the campus of an acute care medical facility located within a one mile radius of the mid point of the platform area of such a rail station, and
(4) the site of a closed hospital located within a one mile radius of the mid point of the platform area of such a rail station;
b. property located within a 1/2 mile radius surrounding the mid point of one of up to two underground light rail stations' platform areas that are most proximate to an interstate rail station;
c. property adjacent to, or connected by rail spur to, a freight rail line if the business utilizes that freight line at any rail spur located adjacent to or within a one mile radius surrounding the entrance to the property for loading and unloading freight cars on trains;
which property shall have been specifically delineated by the authority pursuant to subsection e. of section 3 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-209).
A property which is partially included within the radius shall only be considered part of the urban transit hub if over 50 percent of its land area falls within the radius.
"Rail station" shall not include any rail station located at an international airport, except that any property within a 1/2 mile radius surrounding the mid point of a New Jersey Transit Corporation rail station platform area at an international airport upon which a qualified business facility is constructed or renovated commencing after the effective date of P.L.2011, c.149 (C. ) shall be deemed an urban transit hub, excluding any property owned or controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
(cf: P.L.2011, c.149, s.10)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill expands the definition of an "eligible municipality" for purposes of the urban transit hub credit, to provide an alternative transportation-related criterion.
The urban transit hub credit program is intended to stimulate capital investment and increased employment in targeted urban rail transit hubs to catalyze economic development in those transit hubs. Currently, the program is limited to investment and employment in municipalities that are: (1) eligible for urban aid; (2) that have at least 30 percent of their real property value exempt from property taxes; and (3) that have a specified commuter rail station.
This bill provides an alternative second criterion. This allows a municipality in which the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway intersect and that otherwise meets the urban aid eligibility and commuter rail station requirements to be an eligible municipality for the urban transit hub credit program. This bill would allow Woodbridge to be an eligible municipality and the area around the New Jersey Transit Metropark station to be designated an urban transit hub.
