(A) As used in this section:
(1) “Affiliated group of corporations” means an affiliated group as defined in section 1504 of the Internal Revenue Code, except that, if such a group includes at least one incumbent local exchange carrier that is primarily engaged in the business of providing local exchange telephone service in this state, the affiliated group shall not include any incumbent local exchange carrier that would otherwise be included in the group.
(2) “Consolidated federal income tax return” means a consolidated return filed for federal income tax purposes pursuant to section 1501 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(3) “Consolidated federal taxable income” means the consolidated taxable income of an affiliated group of corporations, as computed for the purposes of filing a consolidated federal income tax return, before consideration of net operating losses or special deductions. “Consolidated federal taxable income” does not include income or loss of an incumbent local exchange carrier that is excluded from the affiliated group under division (A)(1) of this section.
(4) “Incumbent local exchange carrier” has the same meaning as in section 4927.01 of the Revised Code.
(5) “Local exchange telephone service” has the same meaning as in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) (1) For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, a taxpayer that is a member of an affiliated group of corporations may elect to file a consolidated municipal income tax return for a taxable year if at least one member of that affiliated group of corporations is subject to the municipal income tax in that taxable year and if the affiliated group of corporations filed a consolidated federal income tax return with respect to that taxable year.
(a) The election is binding for a five-year period beginning with the first taxable year of the initial election unless a change in the reporting method is required under federal law.
(b) The election continues to be binding for each subsequent five-year period unless the taxpayer elects to discontinue filing consolidated municipal income tax returns under division (B)(2) of this section; or
(c) A taxpayer receives permission from the Tax Commissioner. The Tax Commissioner shall approve such a request for good cause shown.
(2) An election to discontinue filing consolidated municipal income tax returns under this section must be made in the first year following the last year of a five-year consolidated municipal income tax return election period in effect under division (B)(1) of this section. The election to discontinue filing a consolidated municipal income tax is binding for a five-year period beginning with the first taxable year of the election.
(3) An election made under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section is binding on all members of the affiliated group of corporations subject to a municipal income tax.
(C) A taxpayer that is a member of an affiliated group of corporations that filed a consolidated federal income tax return for a taxable year shall file a consolidated municipal income tax return for that taxable year if the Tax Commissioner determines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that intercompany transactions have not been conducted at arm’s length and that there has been a distortive shifting of income or expenses with regard to allocation of net profits to the municipal corporation. A taxpayer that is required to file a consolidated municipal income tax return for a taxable year shall file a consolidated municipal income tax return for all subsequent taxable years unless the taxpayer requests and receives written permission from the Tax Commissioner to file a separate return or a taxpayer has experienced a change in circumstances.
(D) A taxpayer shall prepare a consolidated municipal income tax return in the same manner as is required under the United States Department of Treasury regulations that prescribe procedures for the preparation of the consolidated federal income tax return required to be filed by the common parent of the affiliated group of which the taxpayer is a member.
(E) (1) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (E)(2), (3), and (4) of this section, corporations that file a consolidated municipal income tax return shall compute adjusted federal taxable income, as defined in Section 183.03(1) of this Chapter, by substituting “consolidated federal taxable income” for “federal taxable income” wherever “federal taxable income” appears in that division and by substituting “an affiliated group of corporation’s” for “a C corporation’s” wherever “a C corporation’s” appears in that division.
(2) No corporation filing a consolidated municipal income tax return shall make any adjustment otherwise required under division (1) of 183.03 of this Chapter to the extent that the item of income or deduction otherwise subject to the adjustment has been eliminated or consolidated in the computation of consolidated federal taxable income.
(3) If the net profit or loss of a pass-through entity having at least eighty percent of the value of its ownership interest owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by an affiliated group of corporations is included in that affiliated group’s consolidated federal taxable income for a taxable year, the corporation filing a consolidated municipal income tax return shall do one of the following with respect to that pass-through entity’s net profit or loss for that taxable year:
(a) Exclude the pass-through entity’s net profit or loss from the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group and, for the purpose of making the computations required in Section 183.062 of this Chapter, exclude the property, payroll, and gross receipts of the pass-through entity in the computation of the affiliated group’s net profit sitused to a municipal corporation. If the entity’s net profit or loss is so excluded, the entity shall be subject to taxation as a separate taxpayer on the basis of the entity’s net profits that would otherwise be included in the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group.
(b) Include the pass-through entity’s net profit or loss in the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group and, for the purpose of making the computations required in Section 183.062 of this Chapter, include the property, payroll, and gross receipts of the pass-through entity in the computation of the affiliated group’s net profit sitused to a municipal corporation. If the entity’s net profit or loss is so included, the entity shall not be subject to taxation as a separate taxpayer on the basis of the entity’s net profits that are included in the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group.
(4) If the net profit or loss of a pass-through entity having less than eighty percent of the value of its ownership interest owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by an affiliated group of corporations is included in that affiliated group’s consolidated federal taxable income for a taxable year, all of the following shall apply:
(a) The corporation filing the consolidated municipal income tax return shall exclude the pass-through entity’s net profit or loss from the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group and, for the purposes of making the computations required in Section 183.062 of this Chapter, exclude the property, payroll, and gross receipts of the pass-through entity in the computation of the affiliated group’s net profit sitused to a municipal corporation;
(b) The pass-through entity shall be subject to municipal income taxation as a separate taxpayer in accordance with this chapter on the basis of the entity’s net profits that would otherwise be included in the consolidated federal taxable income of the affiliated group.
(F) Corporations filing a consolidated municipal income tax return shall make the computations required under Section 183.062 of this Chapter by substituting “consolidated federal taxable income attributable to” for “net profit from” wherever “net profit from” appears in that section and by substituting “affiliated group of corporations” for “taxpayer” wherever “taxpayer” appears in that section.
(G) Each corporation filing a consolidated municipal income tax return is jointly and severally liable for any tax, interest, penalties, fines, charges, or other amounts imposed by a municipal corporation in accordance with this chapter on the corporation, an affiliated group of which the corporation is a member for any portion of the taxable year, or any one or more members of such an affiliated group.
(H) Corporations and their affiliates that made an election or entered into an agreement with a municipal corporation before January 1, 2016, to file a consolidated or combined tax return with such municipal corporation may continue to file consolidated or combined tax returns in accordance with such election or agreement for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2016.
(I) As used in this section:
(1) Qualifying remote employee or "owner" means an individual who is an employee of a taxpayer or who is a partner or member holding an ownership interest in a taxpayer that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, provided that the individual meets both of the following criteria:
a. The taxpayer as assigned the individual to a qualifying reporting location.
b. The individual is permitted or required to perform services for the taxpayer at a qualifying remove work location.
(2) "Qualifying remote work location" means a permanent or temporary location at which an employee or owner chooses or is required to perform services for the taxpayer, other than a reporting location of the taxpayer or any other location owned or controlled by a customer or client of the taxpayer. "Qualifying remote work location" may include the residence of an employee or owner and may be located outside of a municipal corporation that imposes an income tax in accordance with this chapter. An employee or owner may have more than one qualifying remote work location during a taxable year.
(3) "Reporting location" means either of the following:
a. A permanent or temporary place of doing business, such as an office, warehouse, storefront, construction site or similar location, that is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by the taxpayer.
b. Any location in this stated owned or controlled by a customer or client of the taxpayer provided that the taxpayer is required to withhold taxes under Section 183.05 of ths chapter, on qualifying wages paid to an employee for the performance of personal services at that location.
(4) "Qualifying reporting location" means one of the following:
a. The reporting location in this state at which an employee or owner performs services for the taxpayer on a regular or periodic basis during the taxable year.
b. If no reporting location exists in this state for an employee or owner under (I)(4)(a) or (b) of this section, the location that the taxpayer otherwise assigns as the employee's or owner's qualifying reporting location, provided the assignment is made in good faith and is recorded and maintained in the taxpayer's business records. A taxpayer may change the qualifying reporting location designated for an employee or owner under this division at any time.
(5) For tax years ending on or after December 31, 2023, a taxpayer may elect to apply the provisions of the division to the apportionment of its net profit from a business or profession. For taxpayers that make this election, the provisions of section (A) of this section apply to such apportionment except as otherwise provided in this division.
A taxpayer shall make the election allowed under this division in writing on or with the taxpayer's net profit return or, if applicable, a timely filed amended net profit return or a timely filed appeal of an assessment. The election applies to the taxable year for which that return or appeal is filed and for all subsequent taxable years, until the taxpayer revokes the election.
The taxpayer shall make the initial election with the tax administrator of each municipal corporation with which, after applying the apportionment provisions authorized in this division, the taxpayer is required to file a net profit tax return for that taxable year. A taxpayer shall not be required to notify the tax administrator of a municipal corporation in which a qualifying remote employee's or owner's qualifying remote work location is located, unless the taxpayer is otherwise required to file a net profit return with that municipal corporation due to business operations that are unrelated to the employee's or owner's activity at the qualifying remote work location.
After the taxpayer makes the initial election, the election applies to every municipal corporation in which the taxpayer conducts business. The taxpayer shall not be required to file a net profit return with a municipal corporation solely because a qualifying remote employee's or owner's qualifying remote work location is location in such municipal corporation.
Nothing in this section prohibits a taxpayer from making a new election under this division after properly revoking a prior election.
(6) For the purpose of calculating the ratios described in Section (A) of this section, all of the following apply to a taxpayer that has made the election described in Section (I)(5):
a. For the purpose of (A)(1), the average original cost of any tangible personal property used by a qualifying remote employee or owner at that individual's qualifying remote work location shall be sitused to that individual's qualifying reporting location.
b. For the purpose of (A)(2), any wages, salaries and other compensation paid during the taxable period to a qualifying remote employee or owner for services performed at that individual's qualifying remote work location shall be sitused to that individual's qualifying reporting location.
c. For the purpose of (A)(3) of this section, and not withstanding section (D) of this section, any gross receipts of the business or profession from services performed during the taxable period by a qualifying remote employee or owner for services performed at that individual's qualifying remote work location shall be sitused to that individual's qualifying reporting location.
(7) Nothing in this section prevents a taxpayer from requesting, or a Tax Administrator from requiring that the taxpayer use, with respect to all or a portion of the income of the taxpayer, an alternative apportionment method as described in Section (B)(1) of this section. However, a tax administrator shall not require an alternative apportionment method in such a manner that it would require a taxpayer to file a net profit return with a municipal corporation solely because a qualifying remote employee's or owner's qualifying remote work location is located in that municipal corporation.
(8) Except as otherwise provided in this section, nothing in this section is intended to affect the withholding taxes on qualifying wages pursuant to Section 183.051 of this Chapter.
(Ord. 19-15. Passed 10-27-15; Ord. 31-23. Passed 12-19-23.)