§105-163.013. (Repealed for investments made on or after January 1, 2014) Registration  


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  • (a)        Repealed by Session Laws 1993, c. 443, s. 4.

    (b)        Qualified Business Ventures. - In order to qualify as a qualified business venture under this Part, a business must be registered with the Securities Division of the Department of the Secretary of State. To register, the business must file with the Secretary of State an application and any supporting documents the Secretary of State may require from time to time to determine that the business meets the requirements for registration as a qualified business venture. A business meets the requirements for registration as a qualified business venture if all of the following are true as of the date the business files the required application:

    (1)        Repealed by Session Laws 1996, Second Extra Session, c. 14, s. 7.

    (1a)      Reserved for future codification purposes.

    (1b)      Either (i) it was organized after January 1 of the calendar year in which its application is filed or (ii) during its most recent fiscal year before filing the application, it had gross revenues, as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, of five million dollars ($5,000,000) or less on a consolidated basis.

    (2)        Repealed by Session Laws 1996, Second Extra Session, c. 14, s. 7.

    (3)        It is organized to engage primarily in manufacturing, processing, warehousing, wholesaling, research and development, or a service-related industry.

    (4)        It does not engage as a substantial part of its business in any of the following:

    a.         Providing a professional service as defined in Chapter 55B of the General Statutes.

    b.         Construction or contracting.

    c.         Selling or leasing at retail.

    d.         The purchase, sale, or development, or purchasing, selling, or holding for investment of commercial paper, notes, other indebtedness, financial instruments, securities, or real property, or otherwise make investments.

    e.         Providing personal grooming or cosmetics services.

    f.          Offering any form of entertainment, amusement, recreation, or athletic or fitness activity for which an admission or a membership is charged.

    (5)        It was not formed for the primary purpose of acquiring all or part of the stock or assets of one or more existing businesses.

    (6)        It is not a real estate-related business.

    The effective date of registration for a qualified business venture whose application is accepted for registration is 60 days before the date its application is filed. No credit is allowed under this Part for an investment made before the effective date of the registration or after the registration is revoked. For the purpose of this Article, if a taxpayer's investment is placed initially in escrow conditioned upon other investors' commitment of additional funds, the date of the investment is the date escrowed funds are transferred to the qualified business venture free of the condition.

    To remain qualified as a qualified business venture, the business must renew its registration annually as prescribed by rule by filing a financial statement for the most recent fiscal year showing gross revenues, as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, of five million dollars ($5,000,000) or less on a consolidated basis and an application for renewal in which the business certifies the facts required in the original application.

    Failure of a qualified business venture to renew its registration by the applicable deadline shall result in revocation of its registration effective as of the next day after the renewal deadline, but shall not result in forfeiture of tax credits previously allowed to taxpayers who invested in the business except as provided in G.S. 105-163.014. The Secretary of State shall send the qualified business venture notice of revocation within 60 days after the renewal deadline. A qualified business venture may apply to have its registration reinstated by the Secretary of State by filing an application for reinstatement, accompanied by the reinstatement application fee and a late filing penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000), within 30 days after receipt of the revocation notice from the Secretary of State. A business that seeks approval of a new application for registration after its registration has been revoked must also pay a penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000). A registration that has been reinstated is treated as if it had not been revoked.

    If the gross revenues of a qualified business venture exceed five million dollars ($5,000,000) in a fiscal year, the business must notify the Secretary of State in writing of this fact by filing a financial statement showing the revenues of the business for that year.

    (b1)      Qualified Licensee Businesses. - In order to qualify as a qualified licensee business under this Part, a business must be registered with the Securities Division of the Department of the Secretary of State. To register, the business must file with the Secretary of State an application and any supporting documents the Secretary of State may require from time to time to determine that the business meets the requirements for registration as a qualified licensee business. The requirements for registration as a qualified licensee business are set out in G.S. 105-163.010.

    The effective date of registration for a qualified licensee business whose application is accepted for registration is the filing date of its application. No credit is allowed under this Part for an investment made before the effective date of the registration or after the registration is revoked.

    To remain qualified as a qualified licensee business, the business must renew its registration annually as prescribed by rule by filing a financial statement for the most recent fiscal year showing gross revenues, as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, of one million dollars ($1,000,000) or less on a consolidated basis and an application for renewal in which the business certifies the facts required in the original application.

    Failure of a qualified licensee venture to renew its registration by the applicable deadline results in revocation of its registration effective as of the next day after the renewal deadline, but does not result in forfeiture of tax credits previously allowed to taxpayers who invested in the business except as provided in G.S. 105-163.014. The Secretary of State shall send the qualified licensee business notice of revocation within 60 days after the renewal deadline. A qualified licensee business may apply to have its registration reinstated by the Secretary of State by filing an application for reinstatement, accompanied by the reinstatement application fee and a late filing penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000), within 30 days after receipt of the revocation notice from the Secretary of State. A business that seeks approval of a new application for registration after its registration has been revoked must also pay a penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000). A registration that has been reinstated is treated as if it had not been revoked.

    If the gross revenues of a qualified business venture exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) in a fiscal year, the business must notify the Secretary of State in writing of this fact by filing a financial statement showing the revenues of the business for that year.

    (c)        Qualified Grantee Businesses. - In order to qualify as a qualified grantee business under this Part, a business must be registered with the Securities Division of the Department of the Secretary of State. To register, the business must file with the Secretary of State an application and any supporting documents the Secretary of State may require from time to time to determine that the business meets the requirements for registration as a qualified grantee business. The requirements for registration as a qualified grantee business are set out in G.S. 105-163.010.

    The effective date of registration for a qualified grantee business whose application is accepted for registration is the filing date of its application. No credit is allowed under this Part for an investment made before the effective date of the registration or after the registration is revoked.

    To remain qualified as a qualified grantee business, the business must renew its registration annually as prescribed by rule by filing an application for renewal in which the business certifies the facts demonstrating that it continues to meet the applicable requirements for qualification.

    (d)       Application Forms; Rules; Fees. - Applications for registration, renewal of registration, and reinstatement of registration under this section shall be in the form required by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may, by rule, require applicants to furnish supporting information in addition to the information required by subsections (b), (b1), and (c) of this section. The Secretary of State may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 150B of the General Statutes that are needed to carry out the Secretary's responsibilities under this Part. The Secretary of State shall prepare blank forms for the applications and shall distribute them throughout the State and furnish them on request. Each application shall be signed by the owners of the business or, in the case of a corporation, by its president, vice-president, treasurer, or secretary. There shall be annexed to the application the affirmation of the person making the application in the following form: "Under penalties prescribed by law, I certify and affirm that to the best of my knowledge and belief this application is true and complete." A person who submits a false application is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

    The fee for filing an application for registration under this section is one hundred dollars ($100.00). The fee for filing an application for renewal of registration under this section is fifty dollars ($50.00). The fee for filing an application for reinstatement of registration under this section is fifty dollars ($50.00).

    An application for renewal of registration under this section must indicate whether the applicant is a minority business, as defined in G.S. 143-128, and include a report of the number of jobs the business created during the preceding year that are attributable to investments that qualify under this section for a tax credit and the average wages paid by each job. An application that does not contain this information is incomplete and the applicant's registration may not be renewed until the information is provided.

    (e)        Revocation of Registration. - If the Securities Division of the Department of the Secretary of State finds that any of the information contained in an application of a business registered under this section is false, it shall revoke the registration of the business. The Secretary of State shall not revoke the registration of a business solely because it ceases business operations for an indefinite period of time, as long as the business renews its registration each year as required under this section.

    (f)        Transfer of Registration. - A registration as a qualified business may not be sold or otherwise transferred, except that if a qualified business enters into a merger, conversion, consolidation, or other similar transaction with another business and the surviving company would otherwise meet the criteria for being a qualified business, the surviving company retains the registration without further application to the Secretary of State. In such a case, the qualified business must provide the Secretary of State with written notice of the merger, conversion, consolidation, or similar transaction and the name, address, and jurisdiction of incorporation or organization of the surviving company.

    (g)        Report by Secretary of State. - The Secretary of State shall report to the Revenue Laws Study Committee by October 1 of each year all of the businesses that have registered with the Secretary of State as qualified business ventures, qualified licensee businesses, and qualified grantee businesses. The report shall include the name and address of each business, the location of its headquarters and principal place of business, a detailed description of the types of business in which it engages, whether the business is a minority business as defined in G.S. 143-128, the number of jobs created by the business during the period covered by the report, and the average wages paid by these jobs.

(1987, c. 852, s. 1; 1991, c. 637, s. 4; 1993, c. 443, ss. 4, 9; c. 485, s. 12; c. 553, s. 80.1; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 14, s. 50; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 745, ss. 9, 10; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 14, s. 7; 1998-98, s. 69; 1998-212, ss. 29A.15(a), 29A.16(e); 1999-369, s. 5.7; 2001-414, s. 12; 2002-99, s. 4; 2003-414, s. 5.)