(a) Effective Date. The provisions of this section apply to franchise tax reports originally due on or after January 1, 2008, except as otherwise noted.
(b) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) Arm's length--The standard of conduct under which entities that are not related parties and that have substantially equal bargaining power, each acting in its own interest, would negotiate or carry out a particular transaction.
(2) Computer program--A series of instructions that are coded for acceptance or use by a computer system and that are designed to permit the computer system to process data and provide results and information. The series of instructions may be contained in or on magnetic tapes, printed instructions, or other tangible or electronic media.
(3) Goods--Real or tangible personal property sold in the ordinary course of business of a taxable entity.
(4) Heavy construction equipment--Self-propelled, self-powered, or pull-type equipment that weighs at least 3,000 pounds and is intended to be used for construction. The term does not include a motor vehicle required to be titled and registered.
(5) Lending institution--An entity that makes loans and:
(6) Principal business activity--The activity in which a taxable entity derives the largest percentage of its "total revenue".
(7) Production--Construction, manufacture, installation occurring during the manufacturing or construction process, development, mining, extraction, improvement, creation, raising, or growth.
(8) Related party--A person, corporation, or other entity, including an entity that is treated as a pass-through or disregarded entity for purposes of federal taxation, whether the person, corporation, or entity is subject to the tax under this chapter or not, in which one person, corporation, or entity, or set of related persons, corporations, or entities, directly or indirectly owns or controls a controlling interest in another entity.
(9) Service costs--Indirect costs and administrative overhead costs that can be identified specifically with a service department or function, or that directly benefit or are incurred by reason of a service department or function. For purposes of this section, a service department includes personnel (including costs of recruiting, hiring, relocating, assigning, and maintaining personnel records or employees); accounting (including accounts payable, disbursements, and payroll functions); data processing; security; legal; general financial planning and management; and other similar departments or functions.
(10) Tangible personal property--
(c) General rules for determining cost of goods sold.
(1) Affiliated entities. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a payment made by one member of an affiliated group to another member of that affiliated group not included in the combined group may be subtracted as a cost of goods sold only if it is a transaction made at arm's length.
(2) Capitalization or expensing of certain costs. The election to capitalize or expense allowable costs is made by filing the franchise tax report using one method or the other. The election is for the entire period on which the report is based and may not be changed after the due date or the date the report is filed, whichever is later. A taxable entity that is allowed a subtraction by this section for a cost of goods sold and that is subject to Internal Revenue Code, §§263A, 460, or 471 (including a taxable entity subject to §471 that elects to use LIFO under §472), may elect to:
(3) Election to subtract cost of goods sold. A taxable entity, if eligible, must make an annual election to subtract cost of goods sold in computing margin by the due date, or at the time the report is filed, whichever is later. The election to subtract cost of goods sold is made by filing the franchise tax report using the cost of goods sold method. An amended report may be filed within the time allowed by Tax Code, §111.107 to change the method of computing margin to the cost of goods sold deduction method or from the cost of goods sold deduction method to the compensation deduction method, 70% of total revenue, or, if otherwise qualified, the E-Z computation method. An election may also be changed as part of an audit. See §3.584 of this title (relating to Margin: Reports and Payments).
(4) Exclusions from total revenue. Any expense excluded from total revenue (see §3.587 of this title (relating to Margin: Total Revenue)) may not be included in the determination of cost of goods sold.
(5) Film and broadcasting. A taxable entity whose principal business activity is film or television production or broadcasting or the sale of broadcast rights or the distribution of tangible personal property described by subsection (b)(10)(A)(ii) of this section, or any combination of these activities, and who elects to use cost of goods sold to determine margin, may include as cost of goods sold:
(6) Lending institutions. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if the taxable entity is a lending institution that offers loans to the public and elects to subtract cost of goods sold, the entity may subtract as a cost of goods sold an amount equal to interest expense.
(7) Mixed transactions. If a transaction contains elements of both a sale of tangible personal property and a service, a taxable entity may only subtract as cost of goods sold the costs otherwise allowed by this section in relation to the tangible personal property sold.
(8) Movie theaters. Effective for reports originally due on or after September 1, 2013, if a taxable entity that is a movie theater elects to subtract cost of goods sold, the cost of goods sold for the taxable entity shall be the costs described by this section in relation to the acquisition, production, exhibition, or use of a film or motion picture, including expenses for the right to use the film or motion picture, and the costs otherwise allowed by this section in relation to concessions sold.
(9) Owner of goods. A taxable entity may make a subtraction under this section in relation to the cost of goods sold only if that entity owns the goods.
(10) Pipeline entities. Effective for reports originally due on or after January 1, 2014, and notwithstanding paragraph (9) of this subsection and subsection (g)(3) of this section, a pipeline entity that provides services for others related to the product that the pipeline does not own and to which this paragraph applies may subtract as a cost of goods sold its depreciation, operations, and maintenance costs allowed by this section related to the services provided.