§45-9-243.40. Privilege or license tax.

(a) The following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this section, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this subsection, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(1) PERSON. Any natural person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, receiver, trust, estate, or other entity, or any other group or combination of any thereof acting as a unit.

(2) COUNTY. Chambers County, Alabama.

(3) BUSINESS. All activities engaged in, or caused to be engaged in, by any person with the object of gain, profit, benefit, or advantage, either direct or indirect to such person.

(4) GROSS PROCEEDS. The value proceeding or accruing from the leasing or rental of tangible personal property, without any deduction on account of the cost of the property so leased or rented, the cost of materials used, labor, or service cost, interest paid or any other expenses whatsoever, and without any deduction on account of loss and shall also include on the part of any person claiming exemption under subsection (c)(4) an amount equal to the amount of rental paid on any tangible personal property acquired under such exception and thereafter diverted to the use of such person.

(5) LEASING or RENTAL. A transaction whereunder the person who owns or controls the possession of tangible personal property permits another person to have the possession or use thereof for a consideration and for the duration of a definite or indefinite period of time without transfer of the title to such property. The detention by the user thereof of freight cars, oxygen and acetylene tanks, and similar property, in respect of which detention a demurrage or per diem charge is made against the user of such property, shall not be deemed to constitute a transaction whereunder property is leased or rented to another within the meaning of this section.

(6) TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY. Personal property which may be seen, weighed, measured, felt, or touched, or is in any other manner perceptible to the senses. The term "tangible personal property" shall not include stocks, bonds, notes, insurance, or other contracts, or securities.

(7) MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. Equipment used primarily for and essential to medical care for or to aid in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, or treatment of disease or injury affecting any structure or function of the body. Such term shall include, but not be limited to, hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, orthopedic appliances, and convalescent aids.

(8) EXEMPT ORGANIZATION. Any organization exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501, as in effect from time to time.

(b) Effective August 1, 1989, there is hereby levied in addition to all privilege license taxes of every kind now or hereinafter imposed by law, which shall be collected as herein provided, a privilege or license tax on each person engaging or continuing within the county in the business of leasing or renting tangible personal property, and such tax shall be in the amounts to be determined by the application of the rates against gross proceeds as follows:

At a rate of three percent of the gross proceeds derived by the lessor or renter from the lease or rental of tangible personal property; provided the privilege or license tax on each person engaging or continuing within this county in the business of leasing or renting any automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer, shall be at the rate of 1.125 percent of the gross proceeds derived by the lessor from the lease or rental of such automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer; provided further, that the tax levied hereby shall not apply to any leasing or rental, as lessor, by the state, or any municipality or county in the state or United Sates of America or any agency or unit thereof.

(c) There shall be exempted from the computation of any tax due hereunder the following:

(1) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of film to a lessee who charges, or proposes to charge, admission for viewing same;

(2) The gross proceeds accruing from any charge in respect of the use of docks or docking facilities furnished for boats or other craft operated on waterways;

(3) The gross proceeds accruing from any charge made by a landlord to a tenant in respect to the leasing or furnishing of tangible personal property to be used on the premises of real property leased by the same landlord to the same tenant for use as a residence or dwelling place, including mobile homes;

(4) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of tangible personal property to a lessee who acquires possession of the property for the purpose of leasing or renting to another the same property under a leasing or rental transaction subject to a tax hereunder;

(5) The gross proceeds accruing from any charge made by a landlord to a tenant in respect to the leasing or furnishing of tangible personal property to be used on the premises of any room or rooms, lodging, or accommodations leased or rented to transients in any hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, tourist cabin, or any other place in which rooms, lodgings, or accommodations are regularly furnished to transients for a consideration;

(6) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of tangible personal property which the county is prohibited from taxing under the Constitution or laws of the United States or under the constitution or laws of the state;

(7) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of nuclear fuel assemblies together with the nuclear material contained therein and other nuclear material used or useful in the production of electricity and assemblies containing ionizing radiation sources together with the ionizing radiation sources contained therein used or useful in medical treatment or scientific research;

(8) The gross proceeds accruing from a transaction whereunder the lessor leases a truck or tractor-trailer or semitrailer, for operation over the public roads and highways, and such lessor furnishes a driver for each such vehicle, and such transaction shall be deemed to constitute the rendition of service and not a "leasing or rental" within the meaning of this section;

(9) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of vehicles in interchange between regulated motor carriers on a per diem basis;

(10) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of all structures, devices, facilities, and identifiable components of any thereof acquired primarily for the control, reduction, or elimination of air or water pollution, and the gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of all materials used or intended for use in structures built primarily for the control, reduction, or elimination of air or water pollution;

(11) The gross proceeds derived by the lessor (which term includes a sublessor) from the leasing or rental of tangible personal property when the lessor and lessee (which term includes sublessee) are wholly owned subsidiary corporations of the same parent corporation or one is the wholly owned subsidiary of the other, provided that the appropriate sales or use tax, if any was due, has been paid on such item of personal property, and provided personal property to any person other than any such sister, parent, or subsidiary corporation, any privilege or license tax due and payable with respect to such subsequent subleasing under the provisions hereof shall be paid;

(12) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of any tangible personal property by a lessee which is a public or private hospital, nursing home, or health care facility, or by a lessee which is an exempt organization;

(13) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of medical equipment;

(14) The gross proceeds accrued or accruing from any leases or rental contracts in effect before August 1, 1989, provided, however, that the exemption hereby afforded shall not apply to any renewal or extension of such leases or contracts and shall not apply to gross proceeds accruing after one year from the first day of the third month following this section being approved by the Governor or otherwise becoming law.

(15) The gross proceeds accruing from a transaction which involves the leasing or rental of vessels or railroad equipment which are engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, or both; and

(16) The gross proceeds accruing from the leasing or rental of aircraft, replacement parts, components, systems, sundries, and supplies affixed or used on the aircraft and all ground support equipment and vehicles used by or for the aircraft to or by a certificated or licensed air carrier with a hub operation within this county, for use in conducting intrastate, interstate, or foreign commerce for transporting people or property by air. For the purpose of this subdivision, the words "hub operation within this county" shall be construed to have all of the following criteria:

a. There originates from the location 15 or more flight departures and five or more different first-stop destinations five days per week for six or more months during the calendar year; and

b. Passengers and/or property regularly exchanged at the location between flights of the same or a different certificated or licensed air carrier.

(d) The privilege license tax levied hereunder, except as otherwise provided, shall be due and payable in monthly installments on or before the twentieth day, every person on whom the amounts levied hereunder are imposed shall render to the county, or a form or forms prescribed by the county commission, a true and correct statement showing the gross proceeds of the business, for the next preceding month, the amount of gross proceeds which are not subject to the privilege license tax, or are not to be used as a measurement of the amounts due by such person and the nature thereof, together with such other information as the county commission may require, and at the time of making such monthly report such person shall compute the privilege license taxes due and shall pay the tax collector of the county the amounts shown to be due. The tax collector of the county shall deposit all taxes collected under this section into the general fund of the county treasury for the use of the county. If any person subject hereto should fail to render any report, return, statement, or form required hereby or should willfully make a false statement of facts in the report, return, statement, or form required hereunder, he or she shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation of any provision of this subsection.

(e) Any person taxable hereunder who makes cash or credit leases or rentals, may report such case leases or rentals only, and he or she shall thereafter include in each monthly report all credit collections made during the month preceding, and shall pay the privilege license tax due thereon at the time of filing such report.

(f) It shall be the duty of every person engaging or continuing in any business for which a privilege or license tax is imposed hereby to keep and preserve suitable records of the gross proceeds of any such business and such other books or accounts as may be necessary to determine the amount of tax for which he or she is liable hereunder. It shall be the duty of every person to keep and preserve for a period of three years, all invoices of gross proceeds, proceeding or accruing from the leasing or rental herein taxed and all such books, invoices, and other records shall be open for examination, at any time by the county commission or its agent. Any person leasing, who in addition leases for releasing, shall keep his or her books so as to show separately the gross proceeds of leasing and the gross proceeds of leasing for releasing. Each occurrence of a failure to keep records or allow examination thereof shall constitute a separate offense.

Any person who shall fail to keep records as herein required or who shall refuse to permit such examination thereof, or who violates any other provision hereof shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation of any provision of this subsection.

(g) Any person who fails to pay the tax herein levied within the time required by this section shall pay, in addition to the tax, a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of tax due, together with interest thereon at the rate of one percent per month or fraction thereof, from the date at which the tax herein levied became delinquent, that is, due and payable, such penalty and interest to be assessed and collected as part of the tax. Provided the county commission, if a good and sufficient reason is shown, may waive or remit the penalty of 10 percent or a portion thereof.

(h) The County Commission of Chambers County is hereby expressly authorized to prescribe all necessary or appropriate rules and regulations for the implementation and enforcement of this section, including all rules and regulations as may be necessary by reason of any alteration of law in relation to this section.

(Act 89-506, p. 1044, 1-8.)