Taxation committee reports 'ought not to pass' on R&D tax credit bill (LD926)

Chair Dan Sarah, who identified himself as the bill sponsor, opened discussion of LD926, saying the measure revisits the state R&D tax credit and that “additional work has been done and in the opinion of the bill sponsor, further work is required.” Sarah told the committee there are two reasons to recommend against advancing the bill: recent state tax conformity has already addressed major R&D taxation concerns, and questions remain about the bill’s reporting and evaluation requirements.

After the sponsor invited a motion, Representative White was recognized to second and the committee voted. Sarah called the roll and listed members recorded as voting in favor of reporting the bill 'ought not to pass,' naming Representatives Gregory Swallow, Scott Haramman, Representative Quint, (transcript: “Representative Riddiki”), Ann Matlac, the chair (Dan Sarah), Senator Bruce Bickford, Thomas Lavine and Russ White. Sarah stated the recommendation was unanimous of those present.

The committee did not take up any amendments to LD926 during the work session. The chair said the decision was driven by both policy developments (tax conformity) and practical concerns about administering any new R&D reporting regime. The committee moved on to other bills on the agenda.

The committee record shows the motion and unanimous roll call as its formal action; no additional materials or department reports were accepted into the record during the LD926 discussion.