(A) Taxpayers who make qualified investments in the Palmetto Seed Capital Corporation (corporation) or the Palmetto Seed Capital Fund Limited Partnership (fund), as defined in § 41-44-10, are allowed a credit against income or bank taxes imposed under Title 12 or insurance premium taxes imposed under Chapter 7 of Title 38.

(B) The amount of the credit for each taxable year is the lesser of:

(1) all qualified investments during the tax year multiplied by thirty percent, plus any credit carryover; or

(2) fifty percent of all qualified investments during all tax years multiplied by thirty percent.

(C) To receive the credit the taxpayer shall:

(1) claim the credit on the tax return in a manner prescribed by the appropriate agency; and

(2) attach to the return a copy of the form, provided in subsection (F) and issued by the corporation, indicating the taxpayer’s qualified investment.

(D) The use of the credit is limited to the taxpayer’s tax liability for the year after the application of all other credits. An unused credit may be carried forward ten years from the date of the qualified investment.

(E)(1) If a qualified investment is redeemed by the fund or the corporation within five years of the date it is purchased, the taxpayer shall report the redemption to the appropriate agency. The credit allowed for the current year by this section is disallowed and a credit previously taken must be paid to the appropriate agency on the return filed for the period in which the redemption occurred.

(2) Neither a distribution by the fund nor dividends or other distributions by the corporation are considered to be redemption of the qualified stock or the qualified interest of the taxpayer unless the amount of qualified stock owned by the taxpayer or the qualified interest held by the taxpayer after the distribution or dividend is less than the amount of qualified stock or qualified interest held by the taxpayer immediately before the distribution or dividend.

(F) The corporation shall complete forms prescribed by the department which must show as to each qualified investment in the fund the following:

(1) the name, address, and identification number of the taxpayer who purchased a qualified investment; and

(2) the nature and amount paid for the qualified investment purchased by the taxpayer.

These forms must be filed with the appropriate department on or before the fifteenth day of the third month following the month in which the qualified investment is purchased. Copies of these forms must be mailed to the investor on or before the fifteenth day of the second month following the month in which the qualified investment is purchased.

(G) The total amount of credits allowed for all taxpayers in all taxable years may not exceed in the aggregate, five million dollars, excluding any allowable tax credits of the Palmetto Seed Capital Corporation. The credit must be allowed to taxpayers in the order of the time of the purchase of the qualified investments.

(H) For purposes of this section:

(1) "The fund" means the Palmetto Seed Capital Fund Limited Partnership and is established and operated as described in § 41-44-60.

(2) "The corporation" means the Palmetto Seed Capital Corporation which is the general partner of the fund.

(3) "Qualified investment" means qualified stock or qualified interest purchased for cash. Qualified stock means authorized but unissued shares of stock in the corporation. Qualified interest means a general partnership interest in the fund for the corporation and a limited partnership interest for all other persons.

(4) "Taxpayer" means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, or other entity having a state income, bank or insurance premium tax liability who has made a qualified investment.

(5) "Appropriate agency" is the Department of Revenue for taxpayers subject to tax under Chapter 6 or Chapter 11 of this title and the Department of Insurance for corporations subject to the premium tax under Chapter 7 of Title 38.

(I) A corporation which files or is required to file a consolidated return is entitled to the income tax credit allowed by § 12-6-3420 or this section on a consolidated basis. The tax credit may be determined on a consolidated basis regardless of whether or not the corporation entitled to the credit contributed to the tax liability of the consolidated group.

(J) The merger, consolidation, or reorganization of a corporation where tax attributes survive does not create new eligibility in a succeeding corporation but unused credits may be transferred and continued by the succeeding corporation. In addition, a corporation may assign its rights to its unused credit to another corporation if it transfers all, or substantially all, of the assets of the corporation or all, or substantially all, of the assets of a trade or business or operating division of a corporation to another corporation.