(1) In order to utilize the incentives set forth in the Employment and Investment Growth Act, the taxpayer shall file an application for an agreement with the Tax Commissioner.

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(2) The application shall contain:

(a) A written statement describing the plan of employment and investment for a qualified business in this state;

(b) Sufficient documents, plans, and specifications as required by the Tax Commissioner to support the plan and to define a project;

(c) If more than one location within this state is involved, sufficient documentation to show that the employment and investment at different locations are interdependent parts of the plan. A headquarters shall be presumed to be interdependent with any other location directly controlled by such headquarters. A showing that the parts of the plan would be considered parts of a unitary business for corporate income tax purposes shall not be sufficient to show interdependence for the purposes of this subdivision;

(d) A nonrefundable application fee of five hundred dollars. The fee shall be deposited into the Nebraska Incentives Fund; and

(e) A timetable showing the expected sales tax refunds and what year they are expected to be claimed. The timetable shall include both direct refunds due to investment and credits taken as sales tax refunds as accurately as possible.

The application and all supporting information shall be confidential except for the name of the taxpayer, the location of the project, the amounts of increased employment and investment, and the information required to be reported by sections 77-4110 and 77-4113.

(3) Once satisfied that the plan in the application defines a project consistent with the purposes stated in section 77-4102 in one or more qualified business activities within this state, that the plans will result in either (a) the investment in qualified property of at least three million dollars and the hiring of at least thirty new employees or (b) the investment in qualified property resulting in a net gain in the total value of tangible property in this state of a type subject to depreciation, amortization, or other recovery under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of at least twenty million dollars, and that the required levels of employment and investment for the project will be met prior to the end of the sixth year after the year in which the application was submitted, the Tax Commissioner shall approve the application. In determining the net gain in value for purposes of this subsection, all tangible personal property shall be valued in a manner consistent with the value determined for qualified property, and the total value on the last day of each year shall be compared with the total value on the last day of the base year.

(4) After approval, the taxpayer and the Tax Commissioner shall enter into a written agreement. The taxpayer shall agree to complete the project, and the Tax Commissioner, on behalf of the State of Nebraska, shall designate the approved plans of the taxpayer as a project and, in consideration of the taxpayer’s agreement, agree to allow the taxpayer to use the incentives contained in the Employment and Investment Growth Act. The application, and all supporting documentation, to the extent approved, shall be considered a part of the agreement. The agreement shall state:

(a) The levels of employment and investment required by the act for the project;

(b) The time period under the act in which the required levels must be met;

(c) The documentation the taxpayer will need to supply when claiming an incentive under the act;

(d) The date the application was filed; and

(e) A requirement that the company update the Department of Revenue annually on any changes in plans or circumstances which affect the timetable of sales tax refunds as set out in the application. If the company fails to comply with this requirement, the Tax Commissioner may defer any pending sales tax refunds until the company does comply.

(5) The incentives contained in section 77-4105 shall be in lieu of the tax credits allowed by section 77-27,188 for any project. In computing credits under section 77-27,188, any investment or employment which is eligible for benefits under the Employment and Investment Growth Act shall be subtracted from the increases computed for determining the credits under section 77-27,188.

(6) A taxpayer and the Tax Commissioner may enter into agreements for more than one project and may include more than one project in a single agreement. The projects may be either sequential or concurrent. A project may involve the same location as another project. No new employment or new investment shall be included in more than one project for either the meeting of the employment or investment requirements or the creation of credits. When projects overlap and the plans do not clearly specify, then the taxpayer shall specify in which project the employment and investment belongs.