§45-13-244. Levy and collection of tax; use of funds for jail construction, operation, etc., and for school purposes.

(a) This section shall only apply to Clarke County.

(b) As used in this section, state sales and use tax means the tax imposed by the state sales and use tax statutes, including, but not limited to, Sections 40-23-1, 40-23-2, 40-23-3, 40-23-4, 40-23-60, 40-23-61, 40-23-62, and 40-23-63.

(c)(1) The County Commission of Clarke County may levy, in addition to all other taxes, including, but not limited to, municipal gross receipts license taxes, a one cent ($.01) privilege license tax against gross sales or gross receipts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amount of the tax authorized to be levied upon each person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of selling at retail machines used in mining, quarrying, compounding, processing, and manufacturing of tangible personal property, farm machinery, and any parts of such machines or any motor vehicle, truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer shall be an amount determined by the county commission. Provided, however, when any used motor vehicle, truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer is taken in trade, or in a series of trades, as a credit or part payment on the sale of a new or used vehicle, the amount of the tax determined by the county commission shall be paid on the net difference, that is, the price of the new or used vehicle sold less the credit for the used vehicle taken in trade.

(2) The gross receipts of any business and the gross proceeds of all sales which are presently exempt under the state sales and use tax statutes are exempt from the tax authorized by this section.

(d) The tax levied by this section may be collected by the State Department of Revenue, or a private firm under contract with the county commission, at the same time and in the same manner as state sales and use taxes are collected. On or prior to the date the tax is due, each person subject to the tax shall file with the collection agency a report in the form prescribed by the collection agency. The report shall set forth, with respect to all sales and business transactions that are required to be used as a measure of the tax levied, a correct statement of the gross proceeds of all the sales and gross receipts of all business transactions. The report shall also include items of information pertinent to the tax as the collection agency may require. Any person subject to the tax levied by this section may defer reporting credit sales until after their collection, and in the event the person defers reporting them, the person shall thereafter include in each monthly report all credit collections made during the preceding month, and shall pay the tax due at the time of filing the report. All reports filed with the collection agency under this subsection shall be available for inspection by the county commission or its designee.

(e) Each person engaging or continuing in a business subject to the tax levied by this section, shall add to the sales price or admission fee and collect from the purchaser or the person paying the admission fee the amount due by the taxpayer because of the sale or admission. It shall be unlawful for any person subject to the tax to fail or refuse to add to the sales price or admission fee and to collect from the purchaser or person paying the admission fee the amount required to be added to the sale or admission price. It shall be unlawful for any person subject to the tax levied by this section to refund or offer to refund all or any part of the amount collected or to absorb or advertise directly or indirectly the absorption or refund of any portion of the tax.

(f) The tax levied by this section shall constitute a debt due Clarke County. The tax, together with any interest and penalties, shall constitute and be secured by a lien upon the property of any person from whom the tax is due or who is required to collect the tax. The collection agency shall collect the tax, enforce this section, and have and exercise all rights and remedies that the state or the collection agency has for collection of the state sales and use tax. The collection agency may employ special counsel as is necessary to enforce collection of the tax levied by this section and to enforce this section. The collection agency shall pay the special counsel any fees it deems necessary and proper from the proceeds of the tax collected by it for Clarke County.

(g) All provisions of the state sales and use tax statutes with respect to the payment, assessment, and collection of the state sales and use tax, making of reports, keeping and preserving records, penalties for failure to pay the tax, promulgating rules and regulations with respect to the state sales and use tax, and the administration and enforcement of the state sales and use tax statutes which are not inconsistent with this section shall apply to the tax levied under this section. The collection agency shall have and exercise the same powers, duties, and obligations with respect to the tax levied under this section that are imposed on the commissioner and department by the state sales and use tax statutes. All provisions of the state sales and use tax statutes that are made applicable by this section to the tax levied under this section, and to the administration and enforcement of this section, are incorporated by reference and made a part of this section as if fully set forth herein.

(h) The collection agency may charge Clarke County for collecting the tax levied under this section in an amount or percentage of total collections as may be agreed upon by the collection agency and the Clarke County Commission. The charge shall not exceed five percent of the total amount of the tax collected in the county. The charge may be deducted each month from the gross revenues from the tax before certification of the amount of the proceeds due Clarke County for that month. The collection agency shall pay into the Clarke County General Fund all amounts collected under this section, as the tax is received by the collection agency within 10 days after it is collected. The collection agency shall certify to the county commission the amount collected and paid into the General Fund of Clarke County during the month immediately preceding the certification.

(i) The net proceeds of the tax levied herein shall be distributed as follows:

(1) Subject to the provisions of subdivision (3), 75 percent of the proceeds shall be deposited to the county general fund with such portion of the funds as may be necessary used to construct, operate, and maintain a new jail.

(2) Subject to the provisions of subdivision (3), 25 percent of the proceeds shall be distributed on a per capita student basis of student enrollment based on the most recent 40-day enrollment report for each school system to the local school board for the building and upkeep of school buildings.

(3) After the jail, provided for in subdivision (1), is completed and any debt incurred for the construction is satisfied, the net proceeds of the tax levied shall be distributed as follows:

a. Fifty percent of the proceeds shall be deposited to the county general fund.

b. Fifty percent of the proceeds shall be distributed on a per capita student basis of student enrollment based on the most recent first 40-day enrollment report for each school system in the county.

(Act 97-605, p. 1067, §§1-9.)