A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to require corporations to file a combined income tax report.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 105‑130.2(5c) reads as rewritten:
"§ 105‑130.2.  Definitions.
The following definitions apply in this Part:
…
(5c)	State net income. – The taxpayer's federal taxable income as determined under the Code, adjusted as provided in G.S. 105‑130.5 and, in the case of a corporation that has income from business activity that is taxable both within and without this State, allocated and apportioned to this State as provided in G.S. 105‑130.4. A corporation's net income in this State includes all of the following:
a.	Its share of any income apportionable to this State of each of the combined groups of which it is a member.
b.	Its share of any income apportionable to this State of a distinct business activity conducted within or without the State wholly by the taxpayer.
c.	Its income from a business conducted wholly by the taxpayer entirely within this State.
d.	Its nonapportionable income or loss allocable to this State."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 105‑130.4(a) reads as rewritten:
"§ 105‑130.4.  Allocation and apportionment of income for corporations.
(a)	The following definitions apply in this section, G.S. 105‑130.4A, and G.S. 105‑130.4B:
(1)	Affiliated group. – A group of two or more corporations in which more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting stock of each member corporation is directly or indirectly owned by a common owner or owners, either corporate or noncorporate, or by one or more of the member corporations. 
(1a)	Apportionable income. – All income that is apportionable under the United States Constitution.
(1b)	Business activity. – Any activity by a corporation that would establish nexus under 15 United States Code section 381.
(1c)	Casual sale of property. – The sale of any property which was not purchased, produced, or acquired primarily for sale in the corporation's regular trade or business.
(1d)	Combined group. – The collective members of an affiliated group that are engaged in a unitary business. 
(2)	Commercial domicile. – The principal place from which the trade or business of the taxpayer is directed or managed.
(3)	Compensation. – Wages, salaries, commissions and any other form of remuneration paid to employees for personal services.
(4)	Excluded corporation. – A corporation engaged in business as a building or construction contractor, a securities dealer, or a loan company or a corporation that receives more than fifty percent (50%) of its ordinary gross income from intangible property.
(5)	Nonapportionable income. – All income other than apportionable income.
(6)	Public utility. – A corporation that is subject to control of one or more of the following entities: the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or the Federal Aviation Agency; and that owns or operates for public use any plant, equipment, property, franchise, or license for the transmission of communications, the transportation of goods or persons, or the production, storage, transmission, sale, delivery or furnishing of electricity, water, steam, oil, oil products, or gas. The term also includes a motor carrier of property whose principal business activity is transporting property by motor vehicle for hire over the public highways of this State.
(7)	Sales. – All gross receipts of the corporation except for the following receipts:
a.	Receipts from a casual sale of property.
b.	Receipts allocated under subsections (c) through (h) of this section.
c.	Receipts exempt from taxation.
d.	The portion of receipts realized from the sale or maturity of securities or other obligations that represents a return of principal.
	
(9)	State. – A state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, and any foreign country or political subdivision thereof.
(10)	Unitary business. – One or more related business organizations engaged in business activity both within and without the State among which one or more of the following exist:
a.	A unity of ownership, operation, or use.
b.	An interdependence in their functions."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 105‑130.4(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	A corporation having income from business activity which is taxable both within and without this State shall allocate and apportion its net income or net loss as provided in this section and G.S. 105‑130.4A. For purposes of allocation and apportionment, a corporation is taxable in another state if (i) the corporation's business activity in that state subjects it to a net income tax or a tax measured by net income, or (ii) that state has jurisdiction based on the corporation's business activity in that state to subject the corporation to a tax measured by net income regardless whether that state exercises its jurisdiction. "
SECTION 4.  G.S. 105‑130.4(i) reads as rewritten:
"(i)	All apportionable income of corporations other than public utilities, excluded corporations, and qualified capital intensive corporations shall be apportioned to this State by multiplying the income by a fraction, the numerator of which is the property factor plus the payroll factor plus twice the sales factor, and the denominator of which is four. If the sales factor does not exist, the denominator of the fraction is the number of existing factors and if the sales factor exists but the payroll factor or the property factor does not exist, the denominator of the fraction is the number of existing factors plus one. The apportionable income of a corporation that is part of a combined group engaged in a unitary business shall be apportioned to this State as provided in G.S. 105‑130.4A."
SECTION 5.  G.S. 105‑130.4(l)(2) reads as rewritten:
"(2)	Sales of tangible personal property are in this State if the property is received in this State by a purchaser other than the United States government. In addition, a sale of tangible personal property is in this State if the property is shipped from a place in this State and the purchaser is in the United States government or the taxpayer is not taxable in the state of the purchaser. In the case of delivery of goods by common carrier or by other means of transportation, including transportation by the purchaser, the place at which the goods are ultimately received after all transportation has been completed shall be considered as the place at which the goods are received by the purchaser. Direct delivery into this State by the taxpayer to a person or firm designated by a purchaser from within or without the State shall constitute delivery to the purchaser in this State."
SECTION 6.  Part 1 of Article 4 of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes is amended by adding two new sections to read:
"§ 105‑130.4A.  Apportionment of income of combined group.(a)	Combined Group. – The apportionable income of a combined group's unitary business is determined by eliminating income, deductions, and losses from all transactions between the members of the combined group associated with the combined group's unitary business. The apportionable income of the combined group's unitary business is apportioned in accordance with G.S. 105‑130.4(i) through G.S. 105‑130.4(l), including in the numerator the property, payroll, and sales associated with the combined group's unitary business in this State of each member of the combined group that has business activity in this State associated with the combined group's unitary business, and including in the denominator the property, payroll, and sales of all members of the combined group that are associated with the combined group's unitary business. Members of a combined group may elect to determine the combined group's apportionable income pursuant to water's edge election under G.S. 105‑130.4B.
(b)	Member Share. – A member's share of the apportionable income of a combined group's unitary business apportioned to this State of which it is a member is the product of the following:
(1)	The apportionable income of the combined group's unitary business apportionable to this State.
(2)	The ratio of the member's State apportionment factors associated with the combined group's unitary business to the combined group's aggregate State apportionment factors associated with the combined group's unitary business.
"§ 105‑130.4B.  Water's edge election.
(a)	Election. – Members of a combined group may elect to disregard the income and apportionment factors of a member of the combined group that is a foreign corporation that conducts eighty percent (80%) or more of its business activity outside the United States and outside of a tax haven country. A water's edge election must be filed in writing with the Secretary. It is effective for the taxable year in which it is filed and for the following 10 taxable years. The election will be automatically extended at the end of the 10‑year period unless notice is given in writing to the Secretary of intent not to renew. The notice of intent not to renew must be made before the end of the last two years of the election period.
(b)	Withdrawal of Election. – An election may be withdrawn only upon written request to the Secretary and only with the written permission of the Secretary. If the Secretary grants a withdrawal of election, the Secretary must impose reasonable conditions as necessary to prevent the evasion of tax or to clearly reflect income for the election period prior to or after the withdrawal. A water's edge election, once terminated by either a notice of withdrawal or a failure to renew, may not be renewed for a minimum of three years.
(c)	Definition. – For purposes of this section, the term 'tax haven country' has the same meaning as in G.S. 143‑59.1."
SECTION 7.  G.S. 105‑130.14 reads as rewritten:
"§ 105‑130.14.  Corporations filing consolidated returns for federal income tax purposes.
(a)	Elective or Secretary‑Initiated Consolidated Returns. –  Any corporation electing or required to file a consolidated income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service must determine its State net income as if the corporation had filed a separate federal return and shall not file a consolidated or combined return with the Secretary unless one of the following applies:
(1)	The corporation is specifically directed in writing by the Secretary under G.S. 105‑130.6 to file a consolidated or combined return.
(2)	The corporation's facts and circumstances meet the facts and circumstances described in a permanent rule adopted under G.S. 105‑130.6 and the corporation files a consolidated or combined return in accordance with that rule.
(3)	Pursuant to a written request from the corporation, the Secretary has provided written advice to the corporation stating that the Secretary will require a consolidated or combined return under the facts and circumstances set out in the request and the corporation files a consolidated or combined return in accordance with that written advice.
(b)	Affiliated Group Combined Reporting. –  A corporation which is part of an affiliated group engaged in a unitary business must file a report for the combined group containing the combined net income of the combined group and any other information the Secretary may require. The use of a combined report does not disregard the separate identities of the members of the combined group. Each member of the combined group is responsible for tax based on its taxable income or loss apportioned or allocated to this State."
SECTION 8.  This act becomes effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.