(A) A taxpayer may claim as a credit against his state income tax imposed by Chapter 6 of Title 12, license fees imposed by Chapter 20 of Title 12, or insurance premiums imposed by Chapter 7 of Title 38, or any combination of them, one hundred percent of an amount contributed to the Industry Partnership Fund at the South Carolina Research Authority, or an SCRA-designated affiliate, or both, pursuant to Section 13-17-88(E), up to a maximum credit of six hundred fifty thousand dollars for an individual taxpayer, not to exceed an aggregate credit of two million dollars for all taxpayers in tax year 2006; up to a maximum credit of one million three hundred thousand dollars for an individual taxpayer, not to exceed an aggregate credit of four million dollars for all taxpayers in tax year 2007; and up to a maximum credit of two million dollars for an individual taxpayer, not to exceed an aggregate credit of six million dollars for all taxpayers for each tax year beginning after December 31, 2007. For purposes of determining a taxpayer's entitlement to the credit for qualified contributions for a given tax year in which more than the applicable aggregate annual limit on the credit is contributed by taxpayers for that year, taxpayers who have made contributions that are intended to be qualified contributions earlier in the applicable tax year than other taxpayers must be given priority entitlement to the credit. The SCRA shall certify to taxpayers who express a bona fide intention of making one or more qualified contributions as to whether the taxpayer is entitled to that priority.
(B) The amount of the credit is equal to one hundred percent of the amount of the taxpayer's qualified contributions to the Industry Partnership Fund, subject to the limitations in this section. The credit is nonrefundable.
(C) The use of the credit is limited to the taxpayer's applicable income or premium tax or license fee liability for the tax year of the taxpayer after the application of all other credits. An unused credit may be carried forward ten tax years of the taxpayer after the end of the tax year of the taxpayer during which the qualified contribution was made.
(D) A contribution is not a qualified contribution if it is subject to conditions or limitations regarding the use of the contribution.
(E) "Taxpayer" means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, bank, insurance company, or other entity having a state income or insurance premium tax or license fee liability who has made a qualified contribution.
(F) To claim the credit, the taxpayer shall attach to the return a copy of a form provided by SCRA identifying the taxpayer's qualified contribution.
(G) The Department of Revenue may require information and submissions by the taxpayer as it considers appropriate in relation to a taxpayer's claim of entitlement to the credit.
(H) The merger, consolidation, or reorganization of a corporation where tax attributes survive does not create new eligibility in a succeeding corporation, but unused credits may be transferred and continued by the succeeding corporation. In addition, a corporation or partnership may assign its rights to its unused credit to another corporation or partnership if it transfers all, or substantially all, of the assets of the corporation or partnership or all, or substantially all, of the assets of the trade or business or operating division of the corporation or partnership to another corporation or partnership.
(I) A taxpayer who claims the credit may not take a deduction in relation to the qualified contribution which gives rise to such credit.