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HB129 • 2026

FISHERIES PROD DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT

An Act relating to the fisheries product development tax credit; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date of sec. 2, ch. 31, SLA 2022; and providing for an effective date.

Taxes
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
HOUSE FISHERIES BY REQUEST OF TASK FORCE EVAL ALASKA SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
Last action
2025-03-28
Official status
(H) FIN
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill makes changes retroactive to January 1, 2025, which may affect claims for that year.

Fisheries Product Development Tax Credit Changes

This bill extends the deadline for claiming a tax credit on new fishing equipment and changes which fish species qualify for the benefit.

What This Bill Does

  • Extends the date by which property must be placed in service to claim the tax credit from December 31, 2026, to December 31, 2029.
  • Changes the definition of eligible fish so that pollock, sablefish, and Pacific cod are no longer included for vessels processing raw materials.
  • Updates rules requiring taxpayers to pay back part or all of their tax credit if they sell equipment or move it out of state within four years.
  • Allows fisheries businesses to ask the department for a preliminary decision on whether an investment qualifies before spending money.
  • Sets the expiration date for this specific law and related sections to January 1, 2030.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Fisheries businesses in Alaska that invest in equipment to process fish or macroalgae.
  • Taxpayers who claim credits on property installed on vessels processing raw materials.
  • The state department responsible for reviewing tax credit applications and determining eligibility.

Terms To Know

Qualified investment
Money spent to buy or convert equipment used mostly to harvest, process, or add value to fish products or macroalgae.
Recapture percentage
The portion of a tax credit that must be paid back if the taxpayer sells the equipment or moves it out of state before four years have passed.
Used predominantly
Using an item for its intended purpose at least 51 percent of the time.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not state how much money is available in total or if there are limits on the number of credits allowed.
  • It is unclear from this text whether other parts of the tax code outside these specific sections will change.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-28 561

    (H) REFERRED TO FINANCE

  2. 2025-03-28 561

    (H) FN1: INDETERMINATE(REV)

  3. 2025-03-28 561

    (H) DP: MCCABE, ELAM, HIMSCHOOT, EDGMON, STUTES

  4. 2025-03-28 561

    (H) FSH RPT CS(FSH) 5DP

  5. 2025-03-27 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFSH)

  6. 2025-03-27 Text

    (H) Moved CSHB 129(FSH) Out of Committee

  7. 2025-03-27 Text

    (H) FISHERIES at 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

  8. 2025-03-25 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFSH)

  9. 2025-03-25 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  10. 2025-03-25 Text

    (H) FISHERIES at 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

  11. 2025-03-20 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFSH)

  12. 2025-03-20 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  13. 2025-03-20 Text

    (H) FISHERIES at 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

  14. 2025-03-10 323

    (H) FSH, FIN

  15. 2025-03-10 323

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

FISHERIES PROD DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT
An Act relating to the fisheries product development tax credit; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date of sec. 2, ch. 31, SLA 2022; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0129b -1- CSHB 129(FSH)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0647\I

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 129(FSH)

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY THE HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES

Offered: 3/28/25
Referred: Finance

Sponsor(s): HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES BY REQUEST OF THE JOINT
LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE EVALUATING ALASKA'S SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to the fisheries product development tax credi t ; p r o v i d i n g f o r a n 1
effective date by amending the effective date of sec. 2, ch. 31 , SLA 2022; and providing 2
for an effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 43.75.037(b) is amended to read: 5
(b) The amount of the tax credit applied against taxes under t his section may 6
not 7
(1) exceed 50 percent of the taxpayer's tax liability incurred under this 8
chapter for processing of eligible fish during the tax year; or 9
(2) be claimed for property first placed into service after De cember 31, 10
2029 [2026]. 11
* Sec. 2. AS 43.75.037(c) is amended to read: 12
(c) If the property for which a tax credit is claimed is insta lled on a vessel, the 13
amount of qualified investment unde r (a) of this section is det ermined by multiplying 14
34-LS0647\I
CSHB 129(FSH) -2- HB0129b
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the investment cost of the qualif ied investment property by a f raction, the numerator 1
of which is the weight of raw macroalgae and raw eligible fish processed on the 2
vessel by the taxpayer in the sta te in the tax year in which th e property is first placed 3
into service, and the denominator of which is the weight of raw macroalgae and raw 4
eligible fish processed on the vessel by the taxpayer in and ou tside of the state in the 5
tax year in which the property is first placed into service. In this subsection, "eligible 6
fish" does not include pollock, sablefish, or Pacific cod. 7
* Sec. 3. AS 43.75.037(g) is amended to read: 8
(g) If, during a tax year, property for which a credit was cla imed under this 9
section is disposed of by the taxpayer, ceases to be qualified investment property, or is 10
removed from service in the sta te, the tax due under this chapt er is increased by the 11
recapture percentage of the aggregate decrease in the credit al lowed under this section 12
for all prior tax years that would have resulted solely from re ducing to zero the credit 13
allowed for the qualified investment property under this sectio n. The amount of tax 14
credit attributable to the qualified investment that is carried forward from prior tax 15
years is terminated as of the first day of the tax year in whic h the qualified investment 16
property is disposed of by the taxpayer, ceases to be qualified investment property, or 17
is removed from service in the state. For purposes of this subsection, 18
(1) the recapture percentage during the year in which the prop erty is 19
first placed into service or during the first year following th e year in which the 20
property is first placed into service is 100 percent; 21
(2) the recapture percentage during the second year following the year 22
in which the property is first placed into service is 75 percent; 23
(3) the recapture percentage during the third year following t he year in 24
which the property is first placed into service is 50 percent; 25
(4) the recapture percentage during the fourth or later year f ollowing 26
the year in which the property is first placed into service is zero percent; 27
(5) qualified inves tment property used on a vessel is consider ed to 28
have been removed from the state on the first day of a tax year in which the proportion 29
of raw macroalgae and raw eligible fish processed in the state on the vessel is less 30
than 50 percent of total weight of raw macroalgae and raw eligible fish processed on 31
34-LS0647\I
HB0129b -3- CSHB 129(FSH)
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the vessel in and outside of the state. 1
* Sec. 4. AS 43.75.037(i) is amended to read: 2
( i ) T h e d e p a r t m e n t s h a l l d e v e lop and implement procedures by w hich a 3
taxpayer that is a fisheries business may submit the taxpayer's proposed investment to 4
the department and request a preliminary determination of wheth er the investment 5
qualifies for the fisheries pr oduct development tax credit unde r this section. A 6
preliminary determination by the department that the taxpayer's submission qualifies 7
for the credit is binding, unless the department determines tha t the taxpayer has made 8
a material misrepresentation in the taxpayer's submission. The department shall 9
make a preliminary determination as to whether a taxpayer's pro posed 10
investment qualifies for a credit within 60 days after the depa rtment receives a 11
taxpayer's proposed investment submitted under this subsection. 12
* Sec. 5. AS 43.75.037(k)(1) is amended to read: 13
(1) "eligible fish" means, except as otherwise provided in (c) of this 14
section, any species of fish or shellfish [SALMON, HERRING, POLLOCK, 15
SABLEFISH, OR PACIFIC COD]; 16
* Sec. 6. AS 43.75.037(k)(4) is amended to read: 17
(4) "qualified investment" means the investment cost to purcha se or 18
convert depreciable tangible personal property with a useful life of three years or more 19
that will [TO] be used predominantly to harvest or process macroalgae, increase 20
the quality and value of macr oalgae or eligible fish, or perform an ice-making, 21
processing, packaging, or product-finishing function that is a significant component in 22
producing a value-added eligible fish product, including canned salmon products in 23
can sizes other than 14.75 ounces or 7.5 ounces; in this paragraph, "property" 24
(A) includes 25
(i) equipment used to fillet, skin, portion, mince, form, 26
extrude, stuff, inject, mix, mari nate, preserve, dry, smoke, br ine, 27
package, freeze, scale, grind, separate meat from bone, or remo ve pin 28
bones; 29
( i i ) n e w p a r t s n e c e s s a r y f o r , o r c o s t s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h , 30
converting a canned salmon line to produce can sizes other than 14.75 31
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CSHB 129(FSH) -4- HB0129b
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ounces or 7.5 ounces; 1
(iii) conveyors used specifically in the act of producing 2
a value-added eligible fish product; 3
(iv) ice-making machines , freezers, and other 4
temperature reducing technologies; 5
(v) new canning equipment for herring products; 6
[AND] 7
(vi) equipment used to transform eligible fish byproduct 8
that is discarded as waste into saleable product; and 9
(vii) equipment used to harvest or process 10
macroalgae; 11
(B) does not include 12
(i) vehicles, forklifts, conve yors not used specifically in 13
increasing the quality and value of macroalgae or eligible fish o r 14
the act of producing a value-added eligible fish product, cranes, pumps, 15
or other equipment used to transport eligible fish or eligible fish 16
products, knives, gloves, tools, supplies and materials, equipment, other 17
than ice-making machines, that is not processing, packaging, or 18
product-finishing equipment, or ot her equipment, the use of whi ch is 19
incidental to increasing the quality and value of macroalgae or 20
eligible fish or the production, packaging, or finishing of value-added 21
eligible fish products; 22
(ii) the overhaul, retooling, or modification of new or 23
existing property, except for new parts necessary for, or costs 24
associated with, converting a canned salmon line to produce can sizes 25
other than 14.75 ounces or 7.5 ounces; or 26
(iii) property used predominantly to produce an eligible 27
fish product that is not taxed under this chapter; 28
* Sec. 7. AS 43.75.037(k) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 29
(8) "used predominantly" means used 51 percent or more of the time. 30
* Sec. 8. Section 6, ch. 31, SLA 2022, is amended to read: 31
34-LS0647\I
HB0129b -5- CSHB 129(FSH)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

Sec. 6. AS 43.05.230(m); AS 43.75.037, and 43.75.130(h) are rep ealed 1
January 1, 2030 [2027]. 2
* Sec. 9. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new 3
section to read: 4
RETROACTIVITY. This Act is retroactive to January 1, 2025. 5
* Sec. 10. Section 8, ch. 31, SLA 2022, is amended to read: 6
Sec. 8. Section 2 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2030 [2027]. 7
* Sec. 11. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 8