Form 5735, Possessions Corporation Tax Credit (Under Sections 936 and 30A), and Schedule P, Allocation of Income and Expenses Under Section 936(h)(5).

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Instructions for Form 5735

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Instructions for Form 5735

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

(Rev. March 2007)
American Samoa Economic Development Credit
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless
otherwise noted.

What’s New
The American Samoa economic development credit has
replaced the possessions corporation tax credit for tax
years beginning after December 31, 2005. For
information on the possessions corporation tax credit for
tax years beginning before January 1, 2006, see the
April 2003 revision of Form 5735 and the Instructions for
Form 5735.

General Instructions
Purpose of Form
Form 5735 is used to figure the American Samoa
economic development credit under section 30A. The
credit is generally allowed against income tax imposed by
Chapter 1 (see Restrictions below for exceptions).

Who Must File
A domestic corporation (other than an S corporation) that
is an existing credit claimant with respect to American
Samoa must complete Form 5735 for each year the
American Samoa economic development credit election
is in effect.

Where To File
Attach Form 5735 to the corporation’s income tax return
and file the return with the Internal Revenue Service,
P.O. Box 409101, Ogden, UT 84409.

Qualifying for the Credit
To qualify for the American Samoa economic
development credit, a corporation must meet all four of
the following requirements.
1. The corporation must have been an existing credit
claimant with respect to American Samoa.
2. The corporation must have elected the application
of section 936 for its last tax year beginning before
January 1, 2006.
3. The corporation must have derived 80% or more of
its gross income from sources in American Samoa during
the applicable period (defined in the instructions for
Part I) immediately before the tax year ended.
4. The corporation must have derived 75% or more of
its gross income from the active conduct of a trade or
business in American Samoa during the applicable
period (defined in the instructions for Part I) immediately
before the tax year ended.

Existing Credit Claimant
A corporation is an existing credit claimant with respect to
American Samoa if the corporation:
1. Was engaged in the active conduct of a trade or
business within American Samoa on October 13, 1995,
and

2. Elected the benefits of the possessions credit,
effective for its taxable year that includes Oct. 13, 1995.
A corporation that acquires all of the assets of a trade
or business of an existing credit claimant will qualify as
an existing credit claimant.
Binding contract exception. For purposes of these
rules, a corporation is treated as engaged in the active
conduct of a trade or business within American Samoa
on October 13, 1995, if the corporation had in effect on
that date, and at all times thereafter, a binding contract
for the acquisition of assets to be used in, or the sale of
property to be produced from, that trade or business.
Substantial new line of business. A corporation that
adds a substantial new line of business or that has a new
line of business that becomes substantial ceases to be
an existing credit claimant at the beginning of the tax
year in which (a) it added the new line of business or (b)
the new line of business becomes substantial. For more
information, see Regulations section 1.936-11.

Restrictions
The credit is not allowed against the following taxes:
1. Tax on accumulated earnings (section 531).
2. Personal holding company tax (section 541).
3. Additional tax for recovery of foreign expropriation
losses (section 1351).
4. Recapture of investment credit (section 50).
5. Recapture of low-income housing credit
(section 42(j)(4)(D)).
6. Recapture of Indian employment credit
(section 45A).

IC-DISC or FSC
A corporation cannot take the American Samoa
economic development credit for any tax year it is an
IC-DISC or former IC-DISC, or for any tax year in which it
owns stock in an IC-DISC or FSC, or former IC-DISC or
former FSC (section 936(f)).

Alternative Minimum Tax
Income eligible for the American Samoa economic
development credit is not taxed under the alternative
minimum tax rules. See Form 4626, Alternative Minimum
Tax—Corporations.

Source of Gross Income, etc.
See sections 638, 861-864, and 936 to determine if the
source of gross income, deductions, and taxable income
is in or outside the United States or American Samoa.
Amounts received in the United States may be
considered sourced outside the United States if they are
from sources outside the United States and received
from an unrelated person in the active conduct of a trade
or business. See section 936(b).

Cat. No. 20920T

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Instructions for Form 5735

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year, divided by the aggregate amount of wages paid or
incurred by the corporation during the tax year.
The allocable employee fringe benefit expenses
cannot exceed 15% of the corporation’s qualified wages
for the tax year.
For more information, see section 936(i)(2).

Specific Instructions
Part I. Gross Income in Applicable
Period
Applicable period. The “applicable period” is generally
the shorter of 36 months or the period when the
corporation actively conducted a trade or business in
American Samoa.

Lines 7–9
Qualified tangible property means any tangible
property used by the corporation in the active conduct of
a trade or business within American Samoa.
Short-life qualified tangible property is qualified
tangible property that is 3-year or 5-year property under
section 168.
Medium-life qualified tangible property is qualified
tangible property that is 7-year or 10-year property under
section 168.
Long-life qualified tangible property is qualified
tangible property that is not short-life or medium-life
qualified tangible property.
For more information, see section 936(i)(4).
Note. In the case of any qualified tangible property to
which section 168 (as in effect before the date of
enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986) applies, any
references above to section 168 are to that Code section
as then in effect.
For more information on depreciation, see the
Instructions for Form 4562 and Publication 946.

Part II. American Samoa Economic
Development Credit
Note. Any wages or other expenses taken into account
in determining the American Samoa economic
development credit may not be taken into account in
determining the research credit under section 41.

Line 6
Enter 60% of the sum of:
• The aggregate amount of the corporation’s qualified
wages for the tax year and
• The allocable employee fringe benefit expenses of the
corporation for the tax year.
Qualified wages. Qualified wages are wages paid or
incurred by the corporation during the tax year in
connection with the active conduct of a trade or business
in American Samoa to an employee for services
performed in American Samoa, but only if the services
are performed while the employee’s principal place of
employment is in American Samoa.
The term “wages” generally means wages as defined
in section 3306(b), but without regard to any dollar
limitation contained in that section. For this purpose,
section 3306(b) is applied as if the term “United States”
includes American Samoa. See section 936(i)(1)(D)(ii) for
a special rule for agricultural labor and railway labor.
The wages that are taken into account for the tax year
for any employee are limited to 85% of the old-age,
survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) contribution
and benefit base for the calendar year in which that tax
year begins. The OASDI contribution and benefit base for
2006 is $94,200 and for 2007 is $97,500.
Special rules apply to part-time employees and
employees whose principal place of employment with the
corporation is not within American Samoa at all times
during the tax year.
For more information, see section 936(i)(1).
Allocable employee fringe benefit expenses. The total
amount of employee fringe benefit expenses taken into
account in figuring the economic-activity limitation is the
amount deductible by the corporation in the tax year for:
• Employer contributions to stock bonus, pensions,
profit-sharing, or annuity plans,
• Employer-provided health or accident plan coverage
for the employees, and
• The cost of life or disability insurance provided to
employees.
Note. Any amount treated as qualified wages may not be
treated as an employee fringe benefit expense.
The amount of allocable employee fringe benefit
expenses for a tax year is equal to the total amount of
employee fringe benefit expenses (defined above)
multiplied by a fraction. The fraction consists of the
corporation’s qualified wages (defined above) for the tax

Line 12
Include the line 12 credit on your income tax return on
the same line on which the qualified electric vehicle
(QEV) credit is reported. Enter “Form 5735” and the
amount next to the entry space for that line. On the 2006
Form 1120, the QEV is reported on Schedule J, line 5b.
The credit must also be included on the QEV line of the
following forms as applicable: Form 3800, Form 6478,
Form 8835, Form 8860, Form 8910, Form 8911, and
Form 8912.
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the
information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue
laws of the United States. You are required to give us the
information. We need it to ensure that you are complying
with these laws and to allow us to figure and collect the
right amount of tax.
You are not required to provide the information
requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB
control number. Books or records relating to a form or its
instructions must be retained as long as their contents
may become material in the administration of any Internal
Revenue law. Generally, tax returns are confidential, as
required by section 6103.
The time needed to complete and file this form will
vary depending on individual circumstances. The
estimated average time is: Recordkeeping, 7 hr., 53
min.; Learning about the law or the form, 2 hr., 17
min.; and Preparing, copying, assembling, and
sending the form to the IRS, 2 hr., 32 min.
If you have comments concerning the accuracy of
these time estimates or suggestions for making this form
simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. See the
instructions for the tax return with which this form is filed.

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