48-7-21
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48-7-21.
(a)
Every domestic corporation and every foreign corporation shall pay annually an
income tax equivalent to 6 percent of its Georgia taxable net income. Georgia
taxable net income of a corporation shall be the
corporatiońs
taxable income from property owned or from business done in this state. A
corporatiońs
taxable income from property owned or from business done in this state shall
consist of the
corporatiońs
taxable income as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, with the
adjustments provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section and allocated
and apportioned as provided in Code Section 48-7-31.
(b)(1)(A)
When interest income is derived from obligations of any state or political
subdivision except this state and political subdivisions of this state, the
interest income shall be added to taxable income to the extent that the interest
income is not included in gross income for federal income tax purposes.
Interest or dividends on obligations of any authority, commission,
instrumentality, territory, or possession of the United States which by the laws
of the United States are exempt from federal income tax but not from state
income tax shall also be added to taxable income.
(B)
There shall be subtracted from taxable income interest or dividends on
obligations of the United States and its territories and possessions or of any
authority, commission, or instrumentality of the United States to the extent
such interest or dividends are includable in gross income for federal income tax
purposes but exempt from state income taxes under the laws of the United States.
There shall also be subtracted from taxable income any income derived from the
authorized activities of a domestic international banking facility operating
pursuant to the provisions of Article 5A of Chapter 1 of Title 7, the 'Domestic
International Banking Facility Act,' and any income arising from the conduct of
a banking business with persons or entities located outside the United States,
its territories, or possessions. Any amount subtracted pursuant to this
subparagraph shall be reduced by any interest expenses directly or indirectly
attributable to the production of the interest or dividend income. The direct
and indirect interest expense shall be determined by multiplying the total
interest expense by a fraction, the numerator of which is the
taxpayeŕs
average adjusted bases of such United States obligations, and the denominator of
which is the average adjusted bases for all assets of the taxpayer.
(2)
There shall be added to taxable income any taxes on, or measured by, net income
or net profits paid or accrued within the taxable year imposed by the authority
of the United States or any foreign country, by any state except the State of
Georgia, or by any territory, county, school district, municipality, or other
tax subdivision of any state, territory, or foreign country to the extent such
taxes are deducted in determining federal taxable income.
(3)
No portion of any deductions or losses which occurred in a year in which the
taxpayer was not subject to taxation in this state including, but not limited
to, net operating losses may be deducted in any tax year. When the federal
adjusted gross income or net income of a corporation includes such deductions or
losses, an adjustment deleting them shall be made under rules established by the
commissioner. The provisions of this subsection shall not prohibit the
carry-over of any deductions or losses including, but not limited to, net
operating losses of any taxpayer which were incurred in a year or years in which
the taxpayer was subject to methods of taxation in this state other than the
corporate income tax.
(4)
Income, losses, and deductions previously used in computing Georgia taxable
income shall not again be used in computing Georgia taxable income. The
commissioner shall provide for needed adjustments by regulation.
(5)
Reserved.
(6)
This article shall not be construed to repeal any tax exemptions contained in
other laws of this state not referred to in this article. Those exemptions and
the exemptions provided for by federal law and treaty shall be deducted on forms
provided by the commissioner.
(7)
All elections made by corporate taxpayers under the Internal Revenue Code of
1954 or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall also apply under this article
except elections involving consolidated corporate returns and Subchapter 'S'
elections which shall be treated as follows:
(A)(i)
Affiliated corporations which file a consolidated federal income tax return must
file separate income tax returns with this state unless they have prior approval
or have been requested to file a consolidated return by the department. The
commissioner shall by regulation provide the time period within which the
permission must be requested. A request for permission beyond such time period
will not be considered and will result in the filing of separate income tax
returns for the applicable year.
(ii)
No depository financial institution shall be deprived of the benefit of any
exemption, deduction, or credit authorized by this title as a consequence of its
election to file otherwise lawful consolidated returns with its parent
organization or any corporate subsidiaries with respect to any state or local
tax levied against such depository financial institution as a result of this
title. As used in this division, the term:
(I)
'Bank' means any financial institution chartered under the laws of this state or
under the laws of the United States and domiciled in this state which is
authorized to receive deposits in this state and which has a corporate structure
authorizing the issuance of capital stock.
(II)
'Depository financial institution' means a 'bank' or a 'savings and loan
association.'
(III)
'Savings and loan association' means any financial institution, other than a
credit union, chartered under the laws of this state or under the laws of the
United States and domiciled in this state which is authorized to receive
deposits in this state and which has a mutual corporate form;
(B)
Subchapter 'S' elections apply only if all stockholders are subject to tax in
this state on their portion of the corporate income. If all nonresident
stockholders pay the Georgia income tax on their portion of the corporate
income, the election shall be allowed.
(8)
There shall be subtracted from taxable income dividends received by:
(A)
A corporation from sources outside the United States as defined in the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986. For purposes of this subparagraph, dividends received by
a corporation from sources outside of the United States shall include amounts
treated as a dividend and income deemed to have been received under provisions
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by such corporation if such amounts could
have been subtracted from taxable income under this paragraph, had such amounts
actually been received. Amounts to be subtracted under this subparagraph shall
include the following, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986:
(i)
Qualified electing fund income;
(ii)
Subpart F income; and
(iii)
Income attributable to an increase in United States property by a controlled
foreign corporation.
The
amount subtracted under this subparagraph shall be reduced by any expenses
directly attributable to the dividend income; and
(B)
Corporations from affiliated corporations within the United States, when the
corporation receiving the dividends is engaged in business in this state and is
subject to the payment of taxes under the income tax laws of this state, to the
extent that the dividends have been included in net income under this Code
section. Dividends from affiliates shall be reduced by any expenses directly
attributable to the dividend income.
(9)
Where a
corporatiońs
salary and wage deductions are reduced in computing federal taxable income
because the corporation has taken a federal jobs tax credit which required, as a
condition to using the federal jobs tax credit, the elimination of salary and
wage deductions, the eliminated salary and wage deductions shall be subtracted
from taxable income.
(10)
Georgia taxable income shall be adjusted as provided in Code Section 48-7-28.3.
(10.1)
Net operating losses for corporations shall be treated as follows:
(A)
For any taxable year in which the taxpayer takes a federal net operating loss
deduction on its federal income tax return, the amount of such deduction shall
be added back to federal taxable income, and Georgia taxable net income for such
taxable year shall be computed from the
taxpayeŕs
federal taxable income as so adjusted. There shall be allowed as a separate
deduction from Georgia taxable net income so computed an amount equal to the
aggregate of the Georgia net operating loss carryovers to such year, plus the
Georgia net operating loss carrybacks to such year;
(B)
The Georgia net operating loss for such taxable year shall be computed by making
the adjustments to federal taxable income required by this article and in the
case of corporations doing business both within and outside Georgia, by
apportioning and allocating to Georgia, as provided in Code Section 48-7-31,
only the amount of the loss attributable to operations within Georgia. The term
'Georgia net operating loss' shall mean the loss computed as provided in this
paragraph. In the event the net Georgia adjustments completely offset a federal
net operating loss, there shall be no Georgia net operating loss for the taxable
year, and any excess of net Georgia adjustments over the federal net operating
loss shall constitute Georgia taxable net income after any such excess has been
allocated and apportioned to Georgia as provided in Code Section 48-7-31. The
procedural sequence of taxable years to which a Georgia net operating loss may
be carried back or carried over, and the number of years for which a net
operating loss may be carried back or carried over, shall be the same as
provided in the Internal Revenue Code. The terms 'Georgia net operating loss
carryback' and 'Georgia net operating loss carryover' shall mean the Georgia net
operating loss for the applicable year carried back or carried over in the
manner and for the number of years as provided in this paragraph;
(C)
In the event the taxpayer elects to forgo the carryback period for the federal
net operating loss as allowed under the Internal Revenue Code, the taxpayer
shall also forgo the carryback period for Georgia purposes. If the taxpayer
does not elect to forgo the carryback period for the federal net operating loss,
the election to forgo the net operating loss period shall not be allowed for
Georgia purposes. If the taxpayer does not have a federal net operating loss,
the taxpayer may make an irrevocable election to forgo the carryback period for
the Georgia net operating loss, provided that an affirmative statement is
attached to the Georgia return for the year of the loss. Such election must be
made on or before the due date for filing the income tax return for the taxable
year wherein the loss was incurred, including any extensions which have been
granted;
(D)
The provisions of Sections 108, 381, 382, and 384 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended, as they relate to net operating losses also apply for
Georgia purposes. The commissioner shall by regulation provide the method of
determining how such sections apply;
(E)
In the event a taxpayer is entitled to a refund of income taxes by reason of a
net operating loss carryback, a claim for such refund must be filed within three
years after the due date for filing the income tax return for the taxable year
wherein the loss was incurred, including any extensions which have been granted.
Such tax refund shall be deemed to have been erroneously assessed and
collected, and shall be paid under the provisions of Code Section 48-2-35;
provided, however, that no interest shall accrue or be paid for any period prior
to the close of the taxable year in which such net operating loss arises and no
interest shall be paid if the claim for refund is processed within 90 days from
the last day of the month in which the claim for such refund is filed;
and
(F)
The commissioner shall have the authority to promulgate regulations regarding
net operating losses with respect to this paragraph and with respect to
consolidated return net operating losses.
(11)
There shall be subtracted from taxable income a portion of qualified payments to
minority subcontractors, as provided in Code Section 48-7-38.
(12)
Georgia taxable income shall, if the taxpayer so elects, be adjusted with
respect to federal depreciation deductions as provided in Code Section 48-7-39.
(13)
If the taxpayer claims the tax credit provided for in subsection (d) of Code
Section 48-7-40.6 with respect to qualified child care property, Georgia taxable
income shall be increased by any depreciation deductions attributable to such
property to the extent such deductions are used in determining federal taxable
income.
(14)
There shall be subtracted from taxable income the deduction provided and allowed
by Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as enacted on or before
January 1, 2005, to the extent the deduction has not been included in the
corporatiońs
taxable income, as defined under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.