Reinventing Manufacturing

Reinventing Manufacturing
Provide Access to Capital
and Financial Incentives for
Manufacturers
Clustering and workforce initiatives can provide the
long-term structural changes necessary to move
advanced manufacturing in California forward. More
immediately, the availability of capital plays a key role in
a firm’s ability to grow, and financial incentives often can
determine siting locations as manufacturers expand.
At the national level, the federal Research and Experimentation
Tax Credit provides $7 billion in tax incentives
each year to companies that make investments
in research. 35 This tax credit allows firms to generate a
higher rate of return on their research programs and
also boosts the total dollars invested in research and
development. A New York University study estimated
that a 10 percent reduction in the cost of R&D leads the
average firm to increase its research intensity—the ratio
of R&D spending to sales—by 11 percent. 36
While manufacturers have called for lower effective
corporate tax rates at the federal level, 37 California
tax policies have also played a role in manufacturers’
decisions on where to locate and invest. With an 8.84
percent state corporate tax rate, California has the
10th highest rate in the country. 38 Other states, such as
Nevada, Washington, and Texas, do not tax corporate
earnings. Aside from taxing earnings, many states tax
real property, tangible personal property, and corporate
net worth (i.e., franchise taxes); business purchases of
equipment are also taxed in many jurisdictions via the
state sales tax. Taken together, these tax burdens can
be a determining factor in where a company decides to
make new investments.
One area for possible reform that could lower the absolute
tax amount paid by manufacturers in California is the
state’s tax on tangible personal property. Income-generating
movable assets, such as machinery used in manufacturing,
fall under the definition of tangible personal
property. In California, this property is taxed at a rate of
1.22 percent; however, 12 states exempt new machinery
and equipment from this tax to varying degrees. California’s
7.5 percent sales tax rate is also the highest in
the nation, though the state has already taken steps to
partially exempt manufacturing equipment from this tax.
California Programs to Incentivize Manufacturing
Within the State
To assist manufacturers expanding their operations
within the state or looking to relocate, the State of California
has created a package of incentives.
The California Competes Tax Credit is negotiated between
GO-Biz and businesses wanting to come to California
or grow within the state. Credit amounts depend
on the number of jobs that will be created in California
and the amount of investment by the business. Of the
$151.1 million of tax credit available in fiscal year 2014–
2015, 25 percent was reserved for small businesses with
sales less than $2 million.
For each taxable year between 2014 and 2020, the New
Employment Credit is available to a tax-paying business
that hires a full-time employee. The work performed by
the employee must occur within an economic development
area designated by the state, based on employment
and poverty levels. In order to qualify for the
credit, the business must have a net increase in the total
number of full-time employees in California.
Eligible manufacturers can finance capital projects
through Tax-Exempt Industrial Development Bonds,
which are issued by a local authority—such as an economic
development authority or joint powers authority—and
are approved by the California Industrial Development
Financing Advisory Commission. With a lower
cost to borrow stemming from the tax-exempt status,
manufacturers can use the bond proceeds to finance the
acquisition and rehabilitation, or construction of manufacturing
facilities.
Like many other states, California provides a partial
sales tax exemption for manufacturing equipment.
The exemption, which is intended to retain and attract
manufacturers, applies to purchases of capital equipment
made from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2022
and reduces California state sales tax by 4.1875 percent
on up to $200 million of a manufacturer’s purchases.
A company that takes advantage of the exemption
could potentially save up to $8.375 million in sales
taxes per year. Eligible purchases include basic manufacturing
equipment as well as food processing and
biotech R&D equipment.
60