§8-22-4. Definitions.

The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section unless otherwise stated and unless the context or subject matter clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) PERSON. Any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, joint stock company, company, corporation, or legal entity.

(2) MOTOR FUEL. Those products upon which the state excise tax levied, or defined, in Sections 40-17-1 through 40-17-52 and 40-17-170, as amended, is imposed.

(3) WHOLESALER. Includes any person qualified as a wholesaler of motor fuel with the state Revenue Commissioner, and shall also mean and include any person, other than a buying pool defined herein, wherever resident or located, who brings or causes to be brought into this state motor fuel purchased directly from the manufacturer thereof.

(4) WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION. Any person, or the act of any person, including any affiliate of such person, in commerce within the state, who purchases motor fuel for sale, consignment or distribution to another, or, receives motor fuel on consignment for consignment or distribution to his own motor fuel accounts or to accounts of his supplier, but shall not include a person who is an employee of, or merely serves as, a common carrier providing transportation services for such supplier.

(5) RETAILER. Includes any person who is engaged in this state in the business of selling motor fuel at retail to the general public for ultimate consumption, and includes any group of persons, cooperative organizations, buying pools and any other person or group purchasing motor fuel on a cooperative basis from licensed distributors or wholesalers.

(6) BUYING POOL. Includes any combination, corporation, association, affiliation or group of retail dealers operating jointly in the purchase, sale, exchange or barter of motor fuel, the profits of which accrue directly or indirectly to such retail dealers.

(7) SALE or SELL. Any transfer for a combination, exchange, barter, gift, offer for sale, advertising for sale, soliciting an order for motor fuel and distribution in any manner or by any means whatsoever.

(8) SELL AT WHOLESALE, SALE AT WHOLESALE and WHOLESALES. Includes any sale made in the ordinary course of trade or usual conduct of the wholesaler's business to a retailer for the purpose of resale.

(9) SELL AT RETAIL, SALE AT RETAIL and RETAIL SALES. Includes any sale for consumption or use in the ordinary course of trade or usual conduct of the seller's business.

(10) CUSTOMARY DISCOUNT FOR CASH. Includes any allowance, whether a part of a larger discount or not, made to a wholesaler or retailer when such person pays for motor fuel within a limited or specified time.

(11) REFINER. Any person engaged in the production or refining of motor fuel, whether such production or refining occurs in this state or elsewhere, and includes any affiliate of such person.

(12) COST TO REFINER. That refiner's posted terminal price to the wholesale class of trade. In the event a refiner does not regularly sell to the wholesale class of trade at that terminal or does not post such a terminal price, it may use as its cost the posted price of any other refiner at any terminal within the general trade area which has products readily available for sale to the wholesale class of trade.

(13) COMPETITION. Includes any person who competes with another person in the same market area at the same level of distribution.

(14) BASIC COST OF MOTOR FUEL. Whichever of the two following amounts is lower, namely, (i) the invoice cost of motor fuel to the wholesaler or retailer, as the case may be, or (ii) the lowest replacement cost of motor fuel to the wholesaler or retailer, as the case may be, within five days prior to the date of sale, in the quantity last purchased (whether within or before the said five-day period), less, in either of said two cases, all trade discounts except customary discounts for cash, plus the full value of freight costs and any taxes which may be required by law, now in effect or hereafter enacted, if not already included in the invoice cost of the motor fuel to the wholesaler or retailer, as the case may be. In computing its basic cost of motor fuel, its cost of doing business and in meeting competition under Section 8-22-8; a refiner that assesses a processing fee of any kind for credit card transactions must assess such fees in a like manner to its affiliates.

(15) COST TO WHOLESALER. As applied to wholesale distribution, the invoice or replacement cost of the motor fuel within five days prior to the date of sale, in the quantity last purchased, whichever is less, less all trade discounts except customary discounts for cash, to which shall be added all applicable state, federal and local taxes, inspection fees, freight charges not otherwise included in the cost of motor fuel, cartage to the retail outlet, if paid by the wholesaler, plus the cost of doing business.

(16) COST TO RETAILER. As applied to retail sales, the invoice or replacement cost of the motor fuel within five days prior to the date of sale, in the quantity last purchased, whichever is less, less all trade discounts except customary discounts for cash, to which shall be added all applicable state, federal and local taxes, inspection fees, freight cost, if paid by the retailer, plus the cost of doing business.

(17) COST OF DOING BUSINESS or OVERHEAD EXPENSES. Includes all costs incurred in the conduct of business, including but not limited to: labor (including salaries of executives and officers), rent (which rent must be no less than fair market value based on current use), interest on borrowed capital, depreciation, selling cost, maintenance of equipment, transportation or freight cost, losses due to breakage or damage; credit card fees, or other charges; credit losses, all types of licenses, taxes, insurance, and advertising.

(18) TRANSFER PRICE. Includes the price used by a person in transferring motor fuel to itself or an affiliate for resale at another marketing level. Such price shall be determined using standard, functional accounting procedures.

(19) AFFILIATE. Any person who (other than by means of franchise) controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, any other person.

(Acts 1984, No. 84-260, p. 433, §4.)