Maine adopts solar property tax exemptions

Read this if you are a solar or wind developer, investor, or have interests in the renewable energy industry.

Given the recent exchange between a bipartisan group of senators and the Treasury Department, it appears that the continuity safe harbor for the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) will be extended. 

Under current regulations, taxpayers “lock in” a tax credit based on the beginning of construction date for their facility or property. Taxpayers must then demonstrate continuous efforts to complete construction in order to ultimately be eligible for the tax credit on completion. If the taxpayers place their energy facility or property into service within four years after the beginning of construction they are deemed to satisfy this test. This is known as the continuity safe harbor. The senators wish to extend the continuity safe harbor from four to five years and it appears that the Treasury may agree. Here is a copy of the letter senators sent to the Treasury. Here is a copy of the letter the Treasury sent back. 

The good news

The Treasury plans to “modify the relevant rules in the near future”. It is encouraging that both groups are aware of the unique challenges businesses in the renewables energy industry face in meeting regulatory deadlines to qualify for tax credits, which help make many projects economically viable. 

The so-so news

We don’t know what the rule modification will entail and this is only an extension of the continuity safe harbor. While this is a welcome change, there are many projects in the pipeline still in the planning phase that have not yet started construction. For these projects, the beginning of construction safe harbor date is more important as it determines the ITC credit rate. For example, projects beginning in 2020 get a 26% credit, and projects beginning in 2021 get a 22% credit. 

Looking ahead

Given the uncertainty in all business planning, now would be a good time to extend the ITC credit rates and/or beginning of construction safe harbor date to give businesses more time to lock in the 26% credit rate for 2020. As the Treasury is limited to what they can do without legislative action, we may need to wait for Congress on this change. 

We are watching for new developments on this issue and will provide updates as we can. If you have questions about your specific situation, please contact the team. We’re here to help.  
 

Read this if you are at a rural health clinic or are considering developing one.

Section 130 of H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Covid Relief Package) has become law. The law includes the most comprehensive reforms of the Medicare RHC payment methodology since the mid-1990s. Aimed at providing a payment increase to capped RHCs (freestanding and provider-based RHCs attached to hospitals greater than 50 beds), the provisions will simultaneously narrow the payment gap between capped and non-capped RHCs.

This will not obtain full “site neutrality” in payment, a goal of CMS and the Trump administration, but the new provisions will help maintain budget neutrality with savings derived from previously uncapped RHCs funding the increase to capped providers and other Medicare payment mechanisms.

Highlights of the Section 130 provision:

• The limit paid to freestanding RHCs and those attached to hospitals greater than 50 beds will increase to $100 beginning April 1, 2021 and escalate to $190 by 2028.
• Any RHC, both freestanding and provider-based, will be deemed “new” if certified after 12/31/19 and subject to the new per-visit cap.
• Grandfathering would be in place for uncapped provider-based RHCs in existence as of 12/31/19. These providers would receive their current All-Inclusive Rate (AIR) adjusted annually for MEI (Medicare Economic Index) or their actual costs for the year.

If you have any questions about your specific situation, please contact us. We’re here to help.

The COVID-19 emergency has caused CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to expand eligibility for expedited payments to Medicare providers and suppliers for the duration of the public health emergency.

Accelerated payments have been available to providers/suppliers in the past due to a disruption in claims submission or claims processing, mainly due to natural disasters. Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has expanded the accelerated payment program to provide necessary funds to eligible providers/suppliers who submit a request to their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and meet the required qualifications.

Eligibility requirements―Providers/suppliers who:

1. Have billed Medicare for claims within 180 days immediately prior to the date of signature on the provider’s/supplier’s request form,
2. Are not in bankruptcy,
3. Are not under active medical review or program integrity investigation, and
4. Do not have any outstanding delinquent Medicare overpayments.

Amount of payment:
Eligible providers/suppliers will request a specific amount for an accelerated payment. Most providers can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a three-month period. Inpatient acute care hospitals and certain other hospitals can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a six-month period. Critical access hospitals (CAHs) can request up to 125% of the Medicare payment for a six-month period.

Processing time:
CMS has indicated that MACs will work to review and issue payment within seven calendar days of receiving the request.

Repayment, recoupment, and reconciliation:
The December 2020 Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus COVID Relief Deal revised the repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline on the Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program as identified below. 

Application:
The MAC for Jurisdiction 6 and Jurisdiction K is NGS (National Government Services). The NGS application for accelerated payment can be found here.

The NGS Hotline telephone number is 1.888.802.3898. Per NGSMedicare.com, representatives are available Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

The MAC will review the application to ensure the eligibility requirements are met. The provider/supplier will be notified of approval or denial by mail or email. If the request is approved, the MAC will issue the accelerated payment within seven calendar days from the request.

Tips for filing the Request for Accelerated/Advance Payment:
The key to determining whether a provider should apply under Part A or Part B is the Medicare Identification number. For hospitals, the majority of funding would originate under Part A based on the CMS Certification Number (CCN) also known as the Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN). As an example, Maine hospitals have CCN / PTAN numbers that use the following numbering convention "20-XXXX". Part B requests would originate when the provider differs from this convention. In short, everything reported on a cost report or Provider Statistical and Reimbursement report  (PS&R) would fall under Part A for the purpose of this funding. 
 
When funding is approved, the requested amount is compared to a database with amounts calculated by Medicare and provides funding at the lessor of the two amounts. The current form allows the provider to request the maximum payment amount as calculated by CMS or a lesser specified amount.
 
A representative from National Government Services indicated the preference was to receive one request for Part A per hospital. The form provides for attachment of a listing of multiple PTAN and NPI numbers that fall under the organization.

Interest after recoupment period:
On Monday, April 6, 2020, the American Hospital Association (AHA) wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and CMS requesting the interest rate applied to the repayment of the accelerated/advanced payments be waived or substantially reduced. AHA received clarification from CMS that any remaining balance at the end of the recoupment period is subject to interest. Currently that interest rate is set at 10.25% or the “prevailing rate set by the Treasury Department”. Without relief from CMS, interest will accrue as of the 31st day after the hospital has received a demand letter for the repayment of the remaining balance. The hospital does have 30 days to pay the balance without incurring interest.  

We are here to help
If you have questions or need more information about your specific situation, please contact the hospital consulting team. We’re here to help.

Read this if you work at a renewable energy company, developer, or other related business. 

When entering into agreements involving tangible long-lived assets, an asset retirement obligation can arise in the form of a legal obligation to retire the asset(s) at a certain date. In the alternative/renewable energy industry, these frequently present themselves in leases for property on which equipment (i.e., solar panels) is placed. In the leases there may be a requirement, for example, that at the conclusion of the lease, the lessee remove the equipment and return to the property to its original condition.

When an asset retirement obligation is present in a contract, a company should record the liability when it has been incurred (usually in the same period the asset is installed or placed in service) and can be reasonably estimated. The fair value of the liability, typically calculated using a present value technique, is recorded along with a corresponding increase to the basis of the asset to be retired. Subsequent to the initial recognition, the liability is accreted annually up to its future value, and the asset, including the increase for the asset retirement obligation, is depreciated over its useful life.

As a company gets closer to the date the obligation is realized, the estimate of the obligation will most likely become more accurate. When revisions to the estimate are determined, the liability should be adjusted in that period.

It is important to note that this accounting does not have any income tax implications, including any potential increase to the investment tax credit (ITC).

These obligations are estimates and should be developed by your management through collaboration with companies or individuals that have performed similar projects and have insight as to the expected cost. While this is an estimate and not a perfect science, it is important information to share with investors and work into cash flow models for the project, as the cost of removing such equipment can be significant. 

Recording the liability on the balance sheet is a good reminder of the approximate cash outflow that will take place in the final year of the lease. If you have any questions or would like to discuss with us, contact a member of the renewable energy team. We’re here to help.

Read this if you are a business owner or interested in upcoming changes to current tax law.

As Joe Biden prepares to be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, and Congress is now controlled by Democrats, his tax policy takes center stage.

Although the Democrats hold the presidency and both houses of Congress for the next two years, any changes in tax law may still have to be passed through budget reconciliation, because 60 votes in the Senate generally are needed to avoid that process. Both in 2017 and 2001, passing tax legislation through reconciliation meant that most of the changes were not permanent; that is, they expired within the 10-year budget window. Here is a comparison of current tax law with Biden’s proposed tax plan.

If you have questions about your specific situation, please contact us. We’re here to help.

Read this if you are an employer looking for more information on the Employee Retention Credit (ERC).

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) stimulus package signed into law by President Trump on December 27 makes very favorable enhancements to the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) enacted under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

Background

The CARES Act passed in March 2020 provided certain employers with the opportunity to receive a refundable tax credit equal to 50 percent of the qualified wages (including allocable qualified health plan expenses) an eligible employer paid to its employees. This tax credit applied to qualified wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The maximum amount of qualified wages (including allocable qualified health plan expenses) taken into account with respect to each eligible employee for all calendar quarters in 2020 is $10,000, so that the maximum credit an eligible employer can receive in 2020 on qualified wages paid to any eligible employee is $5,000.

The ERC was for eligible employers who carried on a trade or business during calendar year 2020, including certain tax-exempt organizations, that either:

• Fully or partially suspend operation during any calendar quarter in 2020 due to orders from an appropriate governmental authority limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings due to COVID-19; or
• Experienced a significant decline in gross receipts during the calendar quarter.

If an eligible employer averaged more than 100 full-time employees in 2019, qualified wages were limited to wages paid to an employee for time that the employee was not providing services due to an economic hardship described above. If the eligible employer averaged 100 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, qualified wages are the wages paid to any employee during any period of economic hardship described above.

Updated guidance: ERC changes

The bill makes the following changes to the ERC, which will apply from January 1 to June 30, 2021:

• The credit rate increases from 50% to 70% of qualified wages and the limit on per-employee wages increases from $10,000 per year to $10,000 per quarter.
• The gross receipts eligibility threshold for employers changes from a more than 50% decline to a more than 20% decline in gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019. A safe harbor is provided, allowing employers that were not in existence during any quarter in 2019 to use prior quarter gross receipts to determine eligibility and the ERC. 
• The 100-employee threshold for determining “qualified wages” based on all wages increases to 500 or fewer employees.
• The credit is available to state or local run colleges, universities, organizations providing medical or hospital care, and certain organizations chartered by Congress (including organizations such as Fannie Mae, FDIC, Federal Home Loan Banks, and Federal Credit Unions). 
• New, expansive provisions regarding advance payments of the ERC to small employers are included, including special rules for seasonal employers and employers that were not in existence in 2019. The bill also provides reconciliation rules and provides that excess advance payments of the credit during a calendar quarter will be subject to tax that is the amount of the excess.
• Employers who received PPP loans may still qualify for the ERC with respect to wages that are not paid for with proceeds from a forgiven PPP loan. This change is retroactive to March 12, 2020. Treasury and the SBA will issue guidance providing that payroll costs paid during the PPP covered period can be treated as qualified wages to the extent that such wages were not paid from the proceeds of a forgiven PPP loan.
• Removal of the limitation that qualified wages paid or incurred by an eligible employer with respect to an employee may not exceed the amount that employee would have been paid for working during the 30 days immediately preceding that period (which, for example, allows employers to take the ERC for bonuses paid to essential workers).

Takeaways

For most employers, the ERC has been difficult to use due to original requirements that prevented employers who received a PPP loan from ERC eligibility and, for those employers who did not receive a PPP loan, the requirement that there be a more than 50% decline in gross receipts. In addition, those employers who qualified for the ERC and had more than 100 employees could only receive the credit for wages paid to employees who did not perform services.

It is important to note that most of the new rules are prospective only and do not change the rules that applied in 2020. The new guidance should make it easier for more employers to utilize the ERC for the first two quarters of 2021. The following types of employers should evaluate the ability to receive the ERC during the first and/or second quarter of 2021:

• Those that used the ERC in 2020 (the wage limit for the credit is now based on wages paid each quarter and the credit is 70% of eligible wages);
• Those that previously received a PPP loan;
• Those that have a more than 20% reduction in gross receipts in 2021 over the same calendar quarter in 2019;
• Those employers with more than 100 but less than 500 employees who have had a significant reduction in gross receipts (i.e., more than 20%)1

For more information

If you have more questions, or have a specific question about your particular situation, please call us. We’re here to help.

Read this if your company is seeking guidance on PPP loans.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. This bill contains guidance on the existing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and guidelines for the next round of PPP funding.

Updates on existing PPP loans

Income and expense treatment of PPP loans. Forgiven PPP loans will not be included in taxable income and eligible expenses paid with PPP funds will be tax-deductible. This tax treatment applies to both current and future PPP loans.

Tax attributes and basis adjustments. Tax attributes such as net operating losses and passive loss carryovers, and basis increases generated from the result of the PPP loans will not be reduced if the loans are forgiven.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Any previous or future EIDL advance will not reduce PPP loan forgiveness. Any borrowers who already received forgiveness of their PPP loans and had their EIDL subtracted from the forgiveness amount will be able to file an amended forgiveness application to have their PPP forgiveness amount increased by the amount of the EIDL advance. The SBA has 15 days from the effective date of this bill to produce an amended forgiveness application. 

Simplified forgiveness application for loans under $150,000. Borrowers who received PPP loans for $150,000 or less will now be able to file a simplified one-page forgiveness application and will not be required to submit documentation with the application. The SBA has 24 days from the effective date of this bill to make this new forgiveness application available. 

Use of PPP funds. Congress expanded the types of expenses that may be paid with PPP funds. Prior eligible expenses were limited to payroll (including health benefits), rent, covered mortgage interest, and utilities. Additional expenses now include software and cloud computing services to support business operations, the purchase of essential goods from suppliers, and expenditures for complying with government guidance relating to COVID-19.

These additional expenses apply to both existing and new PPP loans, but they do not apply to existing loans if forgiveness has already been obtained.
 
In addition, the definition of "payroll costs" has been expanded to include costs for group life, disability, dental, and vision insurance. These additions also apply to both existing and new loans.

Information for new PPP loans

Application deadline. March 31, 2021 

Eligibility for first-time borrowers. A business that did not previously apply for or receive a PPP loan may apply for a new loan. The same requirements apply from the first round of loans. The business must employ fewer than 500 employees per physical location and the borrower must certify the loan is necessary due to economic uncertainty.

Eligibility for second-time borrowers. Businesses that received a prior PPP loan may apply for a second loan, however the eligibility requirements are a little more stringent. The business must have fewer than 300 employees per physical location (down from 500 previously) and it must have experienced a decline in gross revenue of at least 25% in any quarter in 2020 as compared to the same quarter in 2019. The business must have also expended (or will expend) their initial PPP loan proceeds. 

Maximum loan amount. Lesser of $2 million or 2.5x average monthly payroll for either calendar 2019 or the 12-month period prior to the date of the loan. Businesses operating in the accommodations and food service industry (NAICS code 72) can use a 3.5x average monthly payroll multiple. If the business previously received a loan less than the new amount allowed, or if it returned a portion or all of the previous loan, it can apply for additional funds up to the maximum loan amount. 

New types of businesses eligible for loans.

• Broadcast news stations, radio stations, and newspapers that will use the proceeds to support the production and distribution of local and emergency information 
• Certain 501(c)(6) organizations with fewer than 300 employees and that are not significantly involved in lobbying activities 
• Housing cooperatives with fewer than 300 employees 
• Companies in bankruptcy if the bankruptcy court approves

Ineligible businesses. A business that was ineligible to receive a PPP loan during the first round is still ineligible to receive a loan in the new round. The new legislation also prohibits the following businesses from receiving a loan in the second round:

• Publicly traded companies 
• Businesses owned 20% or more by a Chinese or Hong Kong entity or have a resident of China on its board 
• Businesses engaged primarily in political or lobbying activities
• Businesses required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act 
• Businesses not in operation on February 15, 2020 

Forgiveness qualifications. New PPP loans will be eligible for forgiveness if at least 60% of the proceeds are used on payroll costs. Partial forgiveness will still be available if less than 60% of the funds are used on payroll costs. 

Covered period. The borrower may choose a covered period (i.e., the amount of time in which the PPP funds must be spent) between 8 and 24 weeks from the date of the loan disbursement.

Employee Retention Tax Credit. The CARES Act prohibited a business from claiming the Employee Retention Tax Credit if they received a PPP loan. The new legislation retroactively repeals that prohibition, although it is unclear how an employer can claim retroactive relief. The new bill also expands the tax credit for 2021. 

Additional guidance is expected from the SBA in the coming weeks on many of these items and we will provide updates when the information is released.

We’re here to help.
If you have questions about PPP loans, contact a BerryDunn professional.

Read this if you are a community bank.

On December 1, 2020, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued its third quarter 2020 Quarterly Banking Profile. The report provides financial information based on call reports filed by 5,033 FDIC-insured commercial banks and savings institutions. The report also contains a section specific to community-bank performance based on the financial information of 4,590 FDIC-insured community banks. Here are some highlights from the community bank section of the report:

• The community bank sector experienced a $659.7 million increase in quarterly net income from a year prior, despite a 116.6% increase in provision expense and continued net interest margin (NIM) compression. This increase was mainly due to loan sales, which were up 154.2% from 2019. Year-over-year, net income increased 10%.
• Provision expense decreased 32.3% from second quarter 2020 to $1.6 billion. That said, year-to-date provision expense increased 194.3% compared to 2019 year-to-date.
• NIM declined 41 basis points from a year prior to a record low of 3.27% (on an annualized basis). 
• Net operating revenue increased by $2.8 billion from third quarter 2019, a 12.1% increase. This increase was attributable to higher revenue from loan sales and an increase in net interest income mainly due to higher interest income from commercial and industrial (C&I) loans (up 14.8%) and a decrease in interest expense (down 36.8%).
• Average funding costs declined for the fourth consecutive quarter to 0.53%.
• Growth in total loans and leases was stagnant from second quarter 2020, growing by only 1%. However, total loans and leases increased by 13.4% from third quarter 2019. This increase was mainly due to C&I lending, which was up 71%. This growth in C&I lending was mainly comprised of Paycheck Protection Program loans originated in the second quarter.
• The noncurrent rate (loans 90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status) remained unchanged at 0.80% from second quarter 2020. That being said, noncurrent balances were up $1.6 billion in total from third quarter 2019. This year-over-year increase was mainly attributable to increases in noncurrent nonfarm nonresidential, C&I, and farm loan balances.
• Net charge-offs decreased 22.1% year-over-year and currently stand at 0.10%.
• Total deposit growth since second quarter 2020 was modest at 1.8%. However, total deposits compared to third quarter 2019 were up 16.7%.
• The number of community banks declined by 34 to 4,590 from second quarter 2020. This change included one new community bank, three banks transitioning from non-community to community banks, eight banks transitioning from community to non-community banks, 29 community bank mergers or consolidations, and one community bank self-liquidation.

Community banks have been resilient and weathered the 2020 storm, as evidenced by an increase in year-over-year net income of 10%. However, tightening NIMs will force community banks to find creative ways to increase their NIM, grow their earning asset base, and identify ways to increase non-interest income to maintain current net income levels. 

Much uncertainty still exists. For instance, although significant charge-offs have not yet materialized, the financial picture for many borrowers remains uncertain, and payment deferrals have made some credit quality indicators, such as past due status, less reliable. The ability of community banks to maintain relationships with their borrowers and remain apprised of the results of their borrowers’ operations has never been more important. 

Despite the turbulence caused by the pandemic, there are many positive takeaways, and community banks have proven their resilience. Previous investments in technology, including customer facing solutions and internal communication tools, have saved time and money. As the pandemic forced many banks to move away from paper-centric processes, the resulting efficiencies of digitizing these processes will last long after the pandemic. 

If you have questions about your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact BerryDunn’s Financial Services team. We’re here to help.