The following definitions apply to terms used in this subchapter:

1. (1) "Credit base" means the qualified production expenditures base or compensation base used to calculate media production or postproduction tax credits.
2. (2) "Credit year" means the calendar year allocated to a tax credit.
3. (3) "Crew member" means a person hired by a production company or a hired production company, including production staff members, that is not an actor, director, producer, or writer, and who is directly participating in a state-certified production. An individual who receives compensation that is less than Montana minimum wage as described in 39-3-409, MCA, is not a crew member.
4. (4) "Employee" means the same as in 15-30-2501, MCA, and for purposes of these rules also includes an owner, partner, shareholder, or member of a loan-out company to the extent the individual performed personal services on behalf of a loan-out company.
5. (5) "Hired production company" means a company, including a loan-out company, hired to undertake production functions that are directly related to principal photography on behalf of a production company. A hired production company agrees to provide the production company with all necessary information and documentation for the calculation of media production or media postproduction tax credits. A hired production company does not include a travel agency, travel company, insurance agency, lodging service, or equipment rental service.

6. (6) "In-studio facility and equipment," for the purpose of claiming the additional 10 percent credit under 15-31-1007(3)(b)(vi), MCA, means:

   1. (a) a permanent, enclosed building or structure that a production company rents for a "qualified production activity," as defined under 15-31-1003(16)(a), MCA; and

   2. (b) equipment (i.e., personal property) that a production company rents for a "qualified production activity," as defined under 15-31-1003(16)(a), MCA.

      The facility must not be used exclusively for storage and the equipment must be provided by the party renting the facility.

7. (7) "Montana insurance agency" means an insurance company maintaining a permanent place of business in Montana that pays the Montana premium tax and meets the criteria as an authorized insurer, as provided in 33-2-705(4), MCA.
8. (8) "Montana office" means the principal place of business of the production company claiming the media production tax credit.
9. (9) "Montana travel agency" means an entity registered to do business in Montana as a travel agency and maintains a permanent place of business in the state.
10. (10) "Multi-year production" means a state-certified production that has principal photography occurring over two or more tax periods.
11. (11) "Permanent place of business in Montana" means a physical presence in Montana through which a business's activity is conducted. Non-exhaustive examples of permanent places of business in Montana are: an office, factory, store, workshop, warehouse, or similar commercial space. Further, a digital-only business presence, such as the operation of a computer server, does not meet the necessary level of physical presence for these rules.
12. (12) "Personal service company" means a personal service corporation, as defined in IRC 269A(b), or any other entity meeting the principal activity and the ownership requirements of IRC 269A(b), and also includes a sole proprietorship or an individual being paid as an independent contractor.

13. (13) "Production company" means the same as provided in 15-31-1003, MCA, and for the purposes of these rules applies to an individual; a disregarded entity, a C corporation, or an S corporation, defined in ARM 42.2.304, including any affiliates required to submit a combined report under ARM 42.26.204, or in a consolidated return under 15-31-141, MCA; a partnership; an estate; or a trust. The production company must maintain a Montana office as provided in

    15-30-1004(2)(b), MCA, for the duration of the production and must file a Montana income tax return, as required under Title 15, MCA, for the tax years it directly or indirectly incurs the expenses giving rise to the media production tax credit.

14. (14) "Series interim production period" means the period of time between two state-certified productions of the same production company.
15. (15) "Unique credit reference number (UCRN)" means the reference number generated by the department associated with a valid tax credit amount for a given credit year.
16. (16) "Wages" means the same as provided in 15-30-2501, MCA.

Authorizing statute(s): 15-31-1012, MCA

Implementing statute(s): 15-1-201, 15-31-1012, MCA

History: NEW, 2020 MAR p. 1638, Eff. 8/29/20.