(a)        Tax Credited. – The credits provided in this Article are allowed against the income taxes levied in Article 4 of this Chapter.

(b)        Credit Limitations. – The entire credit may not be taken for the taxable year in which the property is placed in service but must be taken in five equal installments beginning with the taxable year in which the property is placed in service. Any unused portion of the credit may be carried forward for the succeeding five years. A credit allowed under this Article may not exceed the amount of the tax against which it is claimed for the taxable year reduced by the sum of all credits allowed, except payments of tax made by or on behalf of the taxpayer.

(c)        Forfeiture for Disposition. – A taxpayer who is required under section 50 of the Code to recapture all or part of the federal credit for rehabilitating an income-producing historic structure located in this State forfeits the corresponding part of the State credit allowed under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-129.35 with respect to that historic structure. If the credit was allocated among the owners of a pass-through entity, the forfeiture applies to the owners in the same proportion that the credit was allocated.

(d)       Forfeiture for Change in Ownership. – If an owner of a pass-through entity that has qualified for the credit allowed under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-129.35 disposes of all or a portion of the owner’s interest in the pass-through entity within five years from the date the rehabilitated historic structure is placed in service and the owner’s interest in the pass-through entity is reduced to less than two-thirds of the owner’s interest in the pass-through entity at the time the historic structure was placed in service, the owner forfeits a portion of the credit. The amount forfeited is determined by multiplying the amount of credit by the percentage reduction in ownership and then multiplying that product by the forfeiture percentage. The forfeiture percentage equals the recapture percentage found in the table in section 50(a)(1)(B) of the Code. The remaining allowable credit is allocated equally among the five years in which the credit is claimed.

(e)        Exceptions to Forfeiture. – Forfeiture as provided in subsection (d) of this section is not required if the change in ownership is the result of any of the following:

(1)        The death of the owner.

(2)        A merger, consolidation, or similar transaction requiring approval by the shareholders, partners, or members of the taxpayer under applicable State law, to the extent the taxpayer does not receive cash or tangible property in the merger, consolidation, or other similar transaction.

(f)        Liability From Forfeiture. – A taxpayer or an owner of a pass-through entity that forfeits a credit under this section is liable for all past taxes avoided as a result of the credit plus interest at the rate established under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-241.21, computed from the date the taxes would have been due if the credit had not been allowed. The past taxes and interest are due 30 days after the date the credit is forfeited. A taxpayer or owner of a pass-through entity that fails to pay the taxes and interest by the due date is subject to the penalties provided in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-236 (1993, c. 527, ss. 1, 2; 1997-139, ss. 1, 2; 1998-98, ss. 36, 69; 1999-389, ss. 4, 5, 6; 2007-491, s. 44(1)a.)