Source: https://www.calt.iastate.edu/blogpost/sf-2417-will-significantly-change-iowas-tax-law
Timestamp: 2018-05-22 17:25:26
Document Index: 517780823

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 422', '§ 1031', '§ 422', '§ 422', '§ 199', '§ 199', '§ 422', '§ 199', '§ 422', '§ 422']

SF 2417 Will Significantly Change Iowa's Tax Law | Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation
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SF 2417 Will Significantly Change Iowa's Tax Law
On May 5, 2018, the Iowa Legislature passed S.F. 2417, a significant overhaul of the Iowa tax code. Federal tax reform implemented by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act set the stage for this legislation. Following is a review of key provisions included in the bill. Governor Reynolds is expected to sign it into law this week.
The bill makes a number of changes beginning with the 2018 tax year. These changes apply retroactively to January 1, 2018.
The bill increases Iowa’s section 179 deduction from $25,000 to $70,000 for tax year 2018 for individual taxpayers. The phase-out threshold for this deduction is increased from $200,000 to $280,000.
The bill also addresses the section 179 glitch we’ve written about in more detail here. This problem arises when a taxpayer is allocated greater section 179 deduction amounts than are allowed under Iowa law by multiple partnerships or S corporations, or from an out-of-state entity. In these cases, the Iowa taxpayer has been unable to use the excess deduction at all, even though the taxpayer has been required to reduce his or her basis to correspond with the amount of the federal deduction passed through.
The bill addresses this problem by allowing the taxpayer to elect to deduct the amount in excess of the Iowa limit evenly over a five-year period beginning the following tax year. This election is made possible by new subsection § 422.7(52). Taxpayers who make the election cannot take the section 179 deduction for that tax year for any eligible property, but must depreciate the cost using the appropriate MACRS convention. This election is for one tax year and electing out of it in the subsequent tax year does not affect the taxpayer’s ability to continue to take the five-year deduction of the excess from a prior year’s election.
Beginning in 2018, the bill conforms Iowa tax law with the federal PATH Act provision allowing taxpayers 70 ½ and older to make tax-free distributions from their IRAs to a qualified charity.
Beginning in 2018, the bill allows taxpayers who itemize deductions to choose to deduct state sales and use tax instead of state income and property tax. This provision conforms Iowa law to another provision of the PATH Act. Taxpayers must elect to deduct the sales and use tax on their federal return to make this choice on their state return.
Beginning in 2018, the bill conforms Iowa law to federal law with respect to PATH Act provisions that increased phase-out amounts and credit percentages for the earned income tax credit.
Beginning in 2018, the bill allows taxpayers to use accounting method changes made possible by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act for purposes of calculating Iowa income.
Beginning in 2018, the bill allows elementary and secondary teachers to apply the deduction allowed under federal law for out-of-pocket expenses up to $250 when calculating Iowa income.
For 2018, the bill does not couple with the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act elimination of IRC § 1031 like-kind exchange treatment for personal property. As such, Iowa continues to recognize deferred gain or loss for personal property exchanges in tax year 2018, even though federal law does not.
For tax years beginning in 2019, the bill couples Iowa tax law with federal tax law as of March 24, 2018, with some exceptions.
For tax year 2019, the bill sets Iowa’s section 179 deduction at $100,000, with a phase-out threshold of $400,000. Iowa Code § 422.7(51).
The bill also provides taxpayers with an option in 2019 to make a subsection § 422.7(52) election, as detailed above, to prevent the loss of cost recovery when the Section 179 deduction is passed through to the taxpayer from an entity or entities in an amount exceeding the Iowa limit.
In 2019, the bill allows taxpayers to deduct from their Iowa taxable income an amount equal to 25 percent of their federal IRC § 199A “qualified business income” deduction. This amount would seem to include the IRC § 199A(g) deduction passed through to some patrons by their cooperatives, although the law does not make this clear.
The bill retains the individual AMT, which is set at 75 percent of the maximum state individual income tax rate for the tax rate, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one percent, times the state alternative minimum taxable income of the taxpayer. The corporate AMT is also retained through tax year 2020.
The bill provides that the federal $10,000 limit on the deduction for state and local taxes (or sales tax in lieu of those taxes) does not apply in computing taxable income for state tax purposes.
Although the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act has restricted a farmer’s federal net operating loss carryback to two years, the bill allows a taxpayer engaged in the trade or business of farming to carryback losses for five years. Iowa Code § 422.9(3)(d).
Beginning January 1, 2019, the bill expands the sales and use tax base to include items and services not previously subject to sales tax in Iowa. These include information services, digital goods and services related to installing specified digital products, ride sharing, subscription services, online sellers, online marketplaces, and online travel agent websites.
For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, the bill implements rolling conformity with federal tax law, with certain exceptions.
Beginning in 2020, the bill allows Iowa taxpayer’s to take a Section 179 deduction equal to the federal limit. The federal deduction is currently $1 million, with a $2.5 million threshold. Both numbers will be indexed for inflation
In 2020, like 2019, the bill allows taxpayers to deduct from their Iowa taxable income an amount equal to 25 percent of their federal IRC § 199A “qualified business income” QBI deduction. In 2021, this percentage increases to 50 percent, and for tax years beginning in 2022, it increases to 75 percent. If the revenue targets above are met in years 2023 through 2025, the Iowa deduction will be 100 percent of the federal QBI deduction. This is because the revenue trigger would cause federal taxable income, rather than federal adjusted gross income, to be the starting point for tax calculations.
The bill retains the corporate AMT through 2020 (despite its elimination under federal law), but eliminates it beginning in tax year 2021.
The bill does not allow corporations to deduct federal income taxes paid for tax years beginning on or after January 2021.
The bill extends the innovation fund through 2023, but substantially scales back and narrows the applicability of the research credit.
Instead of eliminating or revising many other credits, the bill authorizes the legislative council to initiate a study committee to evaluate tax credits available under Iowa law, including Iowa’s utilization of tax credits as a tool for promoting and supporting economic growth and development. The legislature will consider the council’s report during the 2020 legislative session.
The bill eliminates the geothermal tax credit allowed under Iowa Code § 422.10A and the geothermal heat pump tax credit allowed under Iowa Code § 422.11I, beginning in 2019.
The bill did not increase funds for the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit. As such, it remains capped at $6 million, as we've detailed previously.
This is a summary of some of the key provisions included in this tax bill. We will be further analyzing the impact of its provisions on Iowa taxpayers, particularly agricultural producers, in the days ahead. In the meantime, we will be watching for Governor Reynold’s signature.