N.M. Stat. § 7-2F-13
New film production tax credit.
A. The tax credit created by this section may be referred to as the "new film
production tax credit".
B. A film production company that meets the requirements of the Film Production
Tax Credit Act may apply for, and the taxation and revenue department may allow, a tax
credit in an amount equal to twenty-five percent of:
(1)
direct production expenditures made in New Mexico that:
(a) are directly attributable to the production in New Mexico of a film or
commercial audiovisual product;
(b) are subject to taxation by the state of New Mexico;
(c) exclude direct production expenditures for which another taxpayer claims
the new film production tax credit; and
(d) do not exceed the usual and customary cost of the goods or services
acquired when purchased by unrelated parties. The secretary of taxation and revenue
may determine the value of the goods or services for purposes of this section when the
buyer and seller are affiliated persons or the sale or purchase is not an arm's length
transaction; and
(2)
postproduction expenditures made in New Mexico that:
(a) are directly attributable to the production of a commercial film or
audiovisual product;
(b) are for services performed in New Mexico;
(c) are subject to taxation by the state of New Mexico;
(d) exclude postproduction expenditures for which another taxpayer claims
the new film production tax credit; and
(e) do not exceed the usual and customary cost of the goods or services
acquired when purchased by unrelated parties. The secretary of taxation and revenue
may determine the value of the goods or services for purposes of this section when the
buyer and seller are affiliated persons or the sale or purchase is not an arm's length
transaction.
C. With respect to expenditures attributable to a production for which the film
production company receives a tax credit pursuant to the federal new markets tax credit
program, the percentage to be applied in calculating the amount of credit allowed
pursuant to the Film Production Tax Credit Act is twenty percent.
D. A claim for new film production tax credits shall be filed as part of a return filed
pursuant to the Income Tax Act [Chapter 7, Article 2 NMSA 1978] or the Corporate
Income and Franchise Tax Act [Chapter 7, Article 2A NMSA 1978]. A credit that has
been assigned pursuant to Section 7-2F-5 NMSA 1978 shall not be authorized for
payment unless the assignee files a return pursuant to the Income Tax Act or the
Corporate Income and Franchise Tax Act. If the assignee is a pass-through entity with
no New-Mexico-sourced income, the taxation and revenue department may allow a
credit to be claimed on a pass-through entity return. The date a complete credit claim is
received by the taxation and revenue department shall determine the order that a credit
claim is authorized for payment by the department. The film production company may
apply all or a portion of the new film production tax credit granted against personal
income tax liability or corporate income tax liability. If the amount of the credit claimed
exceeds the film production company's tax liability for the taxable year in which the
credit is being claimed, the excess shall be refunded.
E. A taxpayer may be allocated the right to claim a new film production tax credit in
proportion to the taxpayer's ownership interest if the taxpayer owns an interest in a
business entity that is taxed for federal income tax purposes as a partnership and that
business entity has met all of the requirements to be eligible for the credit. The total
credit claimed by all members of that entity shall not exceed the allowable credit
pursuant to this section.
F. A credit claim shall only be considered received by the taxation and revenue
department if the credit claim is made on a complete return filed after the close of the
taxable year. A credit shall be claimed on the return for the taxable year in which the
direct production expenditures or postproduction expenditures were incurred. If a
certificate of eligibility includes expenditures that cross multiple taxable years, the
taxpayer may elect to claim the entire credit on the return for either taxable year. A
credit claim shall not be divided and submitted with multiple returns or in multiple years.
G. For purposes of determining the payment of credit claims pursuant to this
section, the secretary of taxation and revenue may require that credit claims of affiliated
persons be combined into one claim if necessary to accurately reflect closely integrated
activities of affiliated persons.
H. The new film production tax credit shall not be claimed with respect to direct
production expenditures or postproduction expenditures for which the film production
company has delivered a nontaxable transaction certificate or alternative evidence
pursuant to Section 7-9-43 NMSA 1978.
I. A production for which the new film production tax credit is claimed pursuant to
Paragraph (1) of Subsection B of this section shall contain an acknowledgment to the
state of New Mexico. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the film production
company and the division, the acknowledgment shall be in the end screen credits that
the production was filmed in New Mexico and a three-second static or animated state
logo provided by the division shall be included and embedded in the following:
(1)
end screen credits before the below-the-line crew crawl for the life of the
project of long-form narrative film productions; and
(2)
body of the program for the life of television episodes, the placement of
which shall be:
(a) in the opening sequence;
(b) as a bumper into or out of a commercial break; or
(c) in a prominent position in each single project's end credits with no less
than a half screen exposure, but not covering content.
J. To be eligible for the new film production tax credit, a film production company
shall submit to the division information required by the division to demonstrate
conformity with the requirements of the Film Production Tax Credit Act, including
production data deemed necessary by the division and the economic development
department to determine the effectiveness of the credit, and a projection of the new film
production tax credit claim the film production company plans to submit. In addition, the
film production company shall agree in writing:
(1)
to pay all obligations the film production company has incurred in New
Mexico;
(2)
to post a notice at completion of principal photography on the website of
the division that:
(a) contains production company information, including the name of the
production and contact information that includes a working phone number and email
address for both the local production office and the permanent production office to notify
the public of the need to file creditor claims against the film production company; and
(b) remains posted on the website until all financial obligations incurred in the
state by the film production company have been paid;
(3)
that outstanding obligations are not waived should a creditor fail to file;
(4)
to delay filing of a claim for the new film production tax credit until the
division delivers written notification to the taxation and revenue department that the film
production company has fulfilled all requirements for the credit; and
(5)
to submit a completed application for the new film production tax credit
and supporting documentation to the division within one year of incurring the final
qualified expenditures in New Mexico for the registered project and that are included in
the credit claim.
K. The division, in consultation with the taxation and revenue department, shall
determine the eligibility of the film production company and shall report this information
to the taxation and revenue department in a manner and at times the economic
development department and the taxation and revenue department shall agree upon.
The division shall also post on its website all information provided by the film production
company that does not reveal revenue, income or other information that may jeopardize
the confidentiality of income tax returns.
L. To receive a new film production tax credit, a film production company shall apply
to the taxation and revenue department on forms and in the manner the taxation and
revenue department may prescribe. The application shall include a certification of the
amount of direct production expenditures or postproduction expenditures made in New
Mexico with respect to the film production for which the film production company is
seeking the credit; provided that to receive the credit, the application shall be submitted
to the division within one year of the date of the last direct production expenditure in
New Mexico or that the last postproduction expenditure in New Mexico was incurred. If
the amount of the requested tax credit exceeds five million dollars ($5,000,000), the
application shall also include the results of an audit, conducted by a certified public
accountant licensed or otherwise eligible to practice in New Mexico, verifying that the
expenditures have been made in compliance with the requirements of this section. If
the requirements of this section have been complied with, the taxation and revenue
department shall approve the credit and issue a dated certificate of eligibility to the
taxpayer providing the amount of the credit that the taxpayer may claim.
M. Except as provided in Subsection N of this section, that amount of a new film
production tax credit for total payments as applied to direct production expenditures for
the services of performing artists shall not exceed five million dollars ($5,000,000) for
services rendered by nonresident performing artists in a production. This limitation shall
not apply to the services of background artists or resident performing artists cast in
industry standard feature performing roles.
N. In addition to the amount of payments allowed pursuant to Subsection M of this
section, that amount of a new film production tax credit for total payments as applied to
direct production expenditures made for a New Mexico film partner production for the
services of nonresident performing artists, directors, producers, screenwriters and
editors shall not exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for services rendered for each
production; provided that the total payments allowed pursuant to this subsection shall
not exceed an annual aggregate maximum of forty million dollars ($40,000,000) for all
productions in a fiscal year. If the aggregate amount of payments made in a fiscal year
is less than the annual aggregate maximum, then the difference in that fiscal year shall
be added to the annual aggregate maximum allowed in the following fiscal year.