27-65-231 - Additional tax on persons engaging in business of renting motor vehicles.
§ 27-65-231. Additional tax on persons engaging in business of renting motor vehicles.
(1) In addition to the sales tax imposed in Section 27-65-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, there is hereby levied upon every person engaging or continuing in this state in the business of renting motor vehicles under rental agreements with a term of not more than thirty (30) continuous days each, a tax at the rate of six percent (6%) of the gross proceeds of such business derived from the rental of motor vehicles, except that motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding ten thousand (10,000) pounds shall be excluded from the measure of this tax.
(2) All administrative provisions of the Mississippi Sales Tax Law, including those which fix damages, penalties and interest for nonpayment of taxes, failure to file returns, and for other noncompliance with the provisions of said chapter, and all other requirements and duties imposed upon taxpayers, shall apply to all persons liable for taxes under the provisions of this section, and the commission shall exercise all the power and authority and perform all the duties with respect to taxpayers under this section as are provided in said Sales Tax Law, except that in cases of conflict, then the provisions of this section shall control.
(3) On or before February 15 of each year, the proceeds of the tax imposed by this section on business rental activities shall be paid by the State Tax Commission to the county in which such proceeds were collected. Within seven (7) days after receipt of the tax proceeds, the county shall apportion and pay such tax proceeds as follows: The situs of the rental transactions from which tax proceeds were derived shall first be determined, and then the tax proceeds collected at a situs shall be distributed among the county, municipality and school district of the situs, as appropriate, in the same proportion and in the same manner that motor vehicle ad valorem taxes would be distributed among such taxing districts (based on their respective millage rates) if collected at the same time as the receipt of such proceeds and paid by a motor vehicle owner located at the same address as the situs of the rental transaction.
(4) The governing authorities of the counties, municipalities and school districts may expend the proceeds of such tax for any lawful purposes.
(5) The revenues received by counties and municipalities under subsection (3) of this section shall be deposited in the general fund of the counties and municipalities, and the revenues received by the school districts shall be deposited in any fund designated by the school district.
(6) The revenues received by counties, municipalities and school districts under subsection (3) of this section shall be included and considered as proceeds of ad valorem taxes for the purposes of the growth limitation on ad valorem taxes under Sections 27-39-321 and 27-39-305.
(7) The tax authorized herein shall be in addition to any other tax authorized by law to be levied on the business activities described in this section.
Sources: Laws, 1991, ch. 510, § 1; Laws, 1993, ch. 410, § 1, eff from and after July 1, 1993.