67-4-1425 - Limitations on levy of tax.

67-4-1425. Limitations on levy of tax.

(a)  After May 12, 1988, any private act that authorizes a city or county to levy a tax on the privilege of occupancy of a hotel shall limit the application of such tax as follows:

     (1)  A city shall only levy such tax on occupancy of hotels located within its municipal boundaries;

     (2)  A city shall not be authorized to levy such tax on occupancy of hotels if the county in which such city is located has levied such tax prior to the adoption of the tax by the city; and

     (3)  A county shall only levy such tax on occupancy of hotels located within its boundaries but outside the boundaries of any municipality that has levied a tax on such occupancy prior to the adoption of such tax by the county.

(b)  The provisions of this section shall be applied prospectively only and all private acts levying taxes on the privilege of occupancy of hotels enacted prior to May 12, 1988, shall remain in full force and effect. For the purposes of this section, “enacted” means passed by both houses of the general assembly and signed by the governor and approved in accordance with the Constitution of Tennessee, article XI, § 9.

(c)  The provisions of this section do not apply in any county, excluding any county with a metropolitan form of government, that:

     (1)  Contains or borders a county that contains an airport designated as a regular commercial service airport in the international civil aviation organization (ICAO) regional air navigation plan; and

     (2)  Contains a government-owned convention center of at least fifty thousand square feet (50,000 sq. ft.) with an attached, adjoining, or adjacent hotel or motel facility; or

     (3)  Contains an airport with regularly scheduled commercial passenger service, and the creating municipality of the metropolitan airport authority for the airport is not located within such county. The tax levied on occupancy of hotels by cities located within such a county may only be used for tourism as defined by § 7-4-101;

provided, however, that a municipality located in any county to which this subsection (c) applies shall not be authorized to levy a privilege tax upon the privilege of occupancy in any hotel of each transient in an amount exceeding five percent (5%) of the consideration charged by the operator; provided, further, that, if a municipality located in such county is incorporated under the general law, then such municipality is authorized to levy a privilege tax by ordinance adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its governing body upon the privilege of occupancy in any hotel of each transient in an amount not to exceed five percent (5%) of the consideration charged by the operator. Such ordinance shall set forth the manner of collection and administration of such privilege tax.

(d)  The provisions of this section shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than eighty thousand (80,000) nor more than eighty-three thousand (83,000), in any county having a population of not less than thirty-five thousand fifty (35,050) nor more than thirty-five thousand seventy (35,070), nor in any county having a population of not less than one hundred eighteen thousand four hundred (118,400) nor more than one hundred eighteen thousand seven hundred (118,700), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census.

(e)  The provisions of this section do not apply to any city that has constructed a qualifying project or projects under the Convention Center and Tourism Development Financing Act of 1998, compiled in title 7, chapter 88. Further, § 67-4-503 shall not be applicable to such cities as it relates to the authority to levy an occupancy tax.

(f)  The provisions of this section shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than twenty-five thousand five hundred seventy-five (25,575) nor more than twenty-five thousand eight hundred fifty (25,850), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census.

(g)  This section shall not apply in any municipality that is located within the boundaries of all of the following three (3) counties: a county having a population of not less than seventy-one thousand three hundred (71,300) nor more than seventy-one thousand four hundred (71,400), a county having a population of not less than nineteen thousand five hundred (19,500) nor more than nineteen thousand seven hundred seventy-five (19,775), and a county having a population of not less than fifty-one thousand nine hundred (51,900) nor more than fifty-two thousand (52,000), all according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census; provided, that the municipality is authorized to levy a privilege tax by ordinance adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its governing body upon the privilege of occupancy in any hotel located within the municipality of each transient in an amount not to exceed five percent (5%) of the consideration charged by the operator. The ordinance shall set forth the manner of collection and administration of the privilege tax.

(h)  This section shall not apply in any municipality having a population of not less than five thousand two hundred (5,200) nor more than five thousand three hundred (5,300), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, that is located within a county having a population of not less than fifty-one thousand nine hundred (51,900) nor more than fifty-two thousand (52,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census; provided, that the municipality is authorized to levy a privilege tax by ordinance adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its governing body upon the privilege of occupancy in any hotel located within the municipality of each transient in an amount not to exceed five percent (5%) of the consideration charged by the operator. The ordinance shall set forth the manner of collection and administration of the privilege tax.

[Acts 1988, ch. 1000, §§ 1-3; 1991, ch. 413, § 3; 1996, ch. 1082, § 1; 1999, ch. 538, § 1; 2001, ch. 324, § 1; 2002, ch. 718, § 1; 2003, ch. 370, § 1; 2005, ch. 162, § 1; 2007, ch. 156, §§ 1, 2.]