Sec. 1. Eligibility of certain operations for employment tax increment financing treatment. Notwithstanding contrary provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, chapter 917, a qualified business employing qualifying employees in 1996 may use base level data from December 31, 1995 for the purposes of chapter 917 if approval for reimbursement under the chapter was not completed before December 31, 1996 as a result of delays in full implementation of chapter 917. To qualify under this Act, the applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Department of Economic and Community Development that the employee tax increment financing program was a fundamental consideration in the applicant's decision to invest.

SUMMARY

This bill permits a business to use 1995 base data for the employment tax increment program if the business's application for the program was not approved before December 31, 1996 because of delays in fully implementing the program and the program was fundamental to the business's decision to invest.