42-5005. Transaction privilege tax and municipal privilege tax licenses; fees; renewal; revocation; violation; classification

A. Every person who receives gross proceeds of sales or gross income on which a transaction privilege tax is imposed by this article and who desires to engage or continue in business shall apply to the department for an annual transaction privilege tax license accompanied by a fee of $12. A person shall not engage or continue in business until the person has obtained a transaction privilege tax license.

B. A person desiring to engage or continue in business within a city or town that imposes a municipal privilege tax shall apply to the department of revenue for an annual municipal privilege tax license accompanied by a fee of up to $50, as established by ordinance of the city or town. The person shall submit the fee with each new license application. The person may not engage or continue in business until the person has obtained a municipal privilege tax license.  The department must collect, hold, pay and manage the fees in trust for the city or town and may not use the monies for any other purposes.  The fee imposed by this subsection does not apply to a marketplace facilitator or remote seller that is only required to obtain a transaction privilege tax license pursuant to section 42-5043.

C. A transaction privilege tax license is valid only for the calendar year in which it is issued, but it may be renewed for the following calendar year. There is no fee for the renewal of the transaction privilege tax license. The transaction privilege tax license must be renewed at the same time and in the manner as the municipal privilege tax license renewal.

D. A municipal privilege tax license is valid only for the calendar year in which it is issued, but it may be renewed for the following calendar year by the payment of a license renewal fee of up to $50. The renewal fee is due and payable on January 1 and is considered delinquent if not received on or before the last business day of January.  The department must collect, hold, pay and manage the fees in trust for the city or town and may not use the monies for any other purposes.  The renewal fee imposed by this subsection does not apply to a marketplace facilitator or remote seller that is only required to obtain a transaction privilege tax license pursuant to section 42-5043.

E. A licensee that remains in business after the municipal privilege tax license has expired is subject to the payment of the license renewal fee and the civil penalty prescribed in section 42-1125, subsection R.

F. If the applicant is not in arrears in payment of any tax imposed by this article, the department shall issue a license authorizing the applicant to engage and continue in business on the condition that the applicant complies with this article. The license number shall be continuous.

G. The transaction privilege tax license and the municipal privilege tax license are not transferable on a complete change of ownership or change of location of the business. For the purposes of this subsection:

1. "Location" means the business address appearing in the application for the license and on the transaction privilege tax or municipal privilege tax license.

2. "Ownership" means any right, title or interest in the business.

3. "Transferable" means the ability to convey or change the right or privilege to engage or continue in business by virtue of the issuance of the transaction privilege tax or municipal privilege tax license.

H. When the ownership or location of a business on which a transaction privilege tax or municipal privilege tax is imposed has been changed within the meaning of subsection G of this section, the licensee shall surrender the license to the department. The license shall be reissued to the new owners or for the new location on application by the taxpayer and payment of the $12 fee for a transaction privilege tax license and a fee of up to $50 per jurisdiction for a municipal privilege tax license. The department must collect, hold, pay and manage the fees in trust for the city or town and may not use the monies for any other purposes.

I. A person who is engaged in or conducting a business in two or more locations or under two or more business names shall procure a transaction privilege tax license for each location or business name regardless of whether all locations or business names are reported on a consolidated return under a single transaction privilege tax license number. This requirement shall not be construed as conflicting with section 42-5020.

J. A person who is engaged in or conducting a business in two or more locations or under two or more business names shall procure a municipal privilege tax license for each location or business name regardless of whether all locations or business names are reported on a consolidated return.

K. A person who is engaged in or conducting business at two or more locations or under two or more business names and who files a consolidated return under a single transaction privilege tax license number as provided by section 42-5020 is required to pay only a single municipal privilege tax license renewal fee for each local jurisdiction pursuant to subsection D of this section.  A person who is engaged in or conducting business at two or more locations or under two or more business names and who does not file a consolidated return under a single license number is required to pay a license renewal fee for each location or license in a local jurisdiction.

L. For the purposes of this chapter and chapter 6 of this title:

1. Through December 31, 2018, an online lodging marketplace, as defined in section 42-5076, may register with the department for a license for the payment of taxes levied by this state and one or more counties, cities, towns or special taxing districts, at the election of the online lodging marketplace, for taxes due from an online lodging operator on any online lodging transaction facilitated by the online lodging marketplace, subject to sections 42-5076 and 42-6009.

2. Beginning from and after December 31, 2018, an online lodging marketplace, as defined in section 42-5076, shall register with the department for a license for the payment of taxes levied by this state and one or more counties, cities, towns or special taxing districts for taxes due from an online lodging operator on any online lodging transaction facilitated by the online lodging marketplace, subject to sections 42-5076 and 42-6009.

M. For the purposes of this chapter and chapter 6 of this title, a person who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 20 and who files an electronic consolidated tax return for individual real properties under management on behalf of the property owners may be licensed with the department for the payment of taxes levied by this state and by any county, city or town with respect to those properties. There is no fee for a license issued pursuant to this subsection.

N. For the purposes of this chapter, a peer-to-peer car sharing program shall register with the department for a license for the payment of taxes levied by this state and one or more counties, cities, towns or special districts for taxes due from a shared vehicle owner on any shared vehicle transaction facilitated by the peer-to-peer car sharing program, subject to the limitations in section 28-9616. A peer-to-peer car sharing program shall remit the surcharges established pursuant to sections 5-839 and 48-4234 only if the peer-to-peer car sharing program allows shared vehicle transactions that involve a vehicle for which the shared vehicle owner has not certified to the department pursuant to section 28-9616, subsection C that it is an individual-owned shared vehicle. For the purposes of this subsection, "individual-owned shared vehicle", "peer-to-peer car sharing program", "shared vehicle owner" and "shared vehicle transaction" have the same meanings prescribed in section 28-9601.

O. If a person violates this article or any rule adopted under this article, the department upon hearing may revoke any transaction privilege tax or municipal privilege tax license issued to the person.  The department shall provide ten days' written notice of the hearing, stating the time and place and requiring the person to appear and show cause why the license or licenses should not be revoked. The department shall provide written notice to the person of the revocation of the license. The notices may be served personally or by mail pursuant to section 42-5037. After revocation, the department shall not issue a new license to the person unless the person presents evidence satisfactory to the department that the person will comply with this article and with the rules adopted under this article.  The department may prescribe the terms under which a revoked license may be reissued.

P. The department may revoke any transaction privilege tax or municipal privilege tax license issued to any person who fails for thirteen consecutive months to make and file a return required by this article on or before the due date or the due date as extended by the department unless the failure is due to a reasonable cause and not due to wilful neglect.

Q. A person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.