Tax conformity bill passes House

Minnesota taxpayers may benefit on their state return from action taken by the House to conform the state to recent federal tax code changes.

Sponsored by Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston), the House passed HF79 128-3. The bill now moves to the Senate where Sen. Julianne Ortman (R-Chanhassen) is the sponsor.

The recently enacted federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows the cost of health insurance coverage of dependents and adult children to age 26 to be excluded from federal taxable income. The bill moves the exclusion to state taxable income as well.

Employers who have prepared and distributed 2010 W-2 statements that reported the amount of health coverage provided to adult children under age 27 are not required to prepare and distribute corrected tax year 2010 form W-2.

This bill also repeals a provision enacted in the 2010 special session that directed the commissioner of revenue to delay paying corporate franchise tax and sales tax refunds until fiscal year 2012. The positive General Fund balance now projected for fiscal year 2011 makes the delay of refunds unnecessary.