§11-13X-8. Uses of credit; unused credit; carry forward; carry back prohibited; expiration and forfeiture of credit.

(a) No credit is allowed under this section against any employer withholding taxes imposed by §11-21-1 et seq. of this code.

(b) If the tax credit allowed under this article in any taxable year exceeds the sum of the taxes enumerated in subsections (b), (c), or (d) of §11-13X-7 of this code, for that taxable year, the excess may be applied against those taxes, in the order and manner stated in §11-13X-7 of this code, for succeeding taxable years until the earlier of the following:

(1) The full amount of the excess tax credit is used;

(2) The expiration of the second taxable year after the taxable year in which the expenditures occurred. The tax credit remaining thereafter is forfeited; or

(3) The excess tax credit is transferred or sold.

(c) No carryback is allowed to a prior taxable year that does not have qualified expenditures for the amount of any unused portion of any annual credit allowance.

(d) The transfer or sale of this credit does not extend the time in which the credit can be used. The carry forward period for credit that is transferred or sold begins on the date on which the credit was originally issued by the Office of Economic Development.

(e) Any tax credit certificate issued in accordance with this article, which has been issued to an eligible company, and to the extent not previously claimed against the tax of the eligible company or the owner of the certificate, may be transferred or sold by such eligible company to another West Virginia taxpayer, subject to the following conditions:

(1) A single transfer or sale may involve one or more transferees, assignees or purchasers. A transfer or sale of the credits may involve multiple transfers to one or more transferees, assignees or purchasers;

(2) Transferors and sellers shall apply to the office for approval of any transfer, sale, or assignment of the tax credit. Any amount of the tax credit that has been transferred or assigned shall be subject to the same limitations and conditions that apply to the eligible company’s or seller’s entitlement, use and application of the credit. The application for sale, transfer or assignment of the credit shall include the transferor’s tax credit balance prior to transfer, the credit certificate number, the name of the seller, the transferor’s remaining tax credit balance after transfer, if any, all tax identification numbers for both transferor and transferee, the date of transfer, the amount transferred, a copy of the credit certificate and any other information required by the Office of Economic Development or the Tax Commissioner.

(3) The Office of Economic Development shall not approve the transfer or assignment of a tax credit if the seller or transferor has an outstanding tax obligation with the State of West Virginia for any prior taxable year.

(f) The transferee, assignee or purchaser shall apply such credits in the same manner and against the same taxes as specified in this article.

(g) For purposes of this chapter, any proceeds received by the eligible company or transferor for its assignment or sale of the tax credits allowed pursuant to this section are exempt from the West Virginia consumers sales and service tax, use tax, the corporate net income tax, and personal income tax.

(h) The Tax Commissioner shall not seek recourse against the transferee for any portion of the credit that may be subsequently disqualified.

Failure to comply with this section will result in the disallowance of the tax credit until the seller or transferor is in full compliance.