130th Ohio General Assembly
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Sub. H. B. No. 117As Reported by the Senate Ways and Means Committee
As Reported by the Senate Ways and Means Committee

124th General Assembly
Regular Session
2001-2002
Sub. H. B. No. 117


REPRESENTATIVES Willamowski, Metelsky, Grendell, Calvert, Callender, Seitz, Ogg, Jones, Allen, Redfern, Britton, Jerse, Lendrum, Barrett, Hollister, Schaffer, Beatty, Coates, Hartnett, Widowfield, G. Smith, Carano, Hoops, Niehaus, Latta, Gilb, Hagan, Wolpert, Core, Manning, Flowers, Evans, Perry, Schmidt, Buehrer, Salerno, Cirelli, Driehaus, Sulzer, Distel, Wilson, Boccieri, Krupinski, Damschroder, Collier, Rhine, Patton, R. Miller, Schneider, Clancy, Otterman, Roman, Barnes, Key, Woodard, Webster, Cates, Hughes, Reidelbach, Carmichael, Olman, Young, D. Miller, DePiero

SENATORS Blessing, Mead, Amstutz, DiDonato, McLin, Spada, Jordan



A BILL
To amend section 5739.02 of the Revised Code to exempt from the sales and use tax items used to assist handicapped persons in accessing or operating motor vehicles or to modify motor vehicles for the transportation of wheelchairs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That section 5739.02 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 5739.02.  For the purpose of providing revenue with which to meet the needs of the state, for the use of the general revenue fund of the state, for the purpose of securing a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state, for the purpose of affording revenues, in addition to those from general property taxes, permitted under constitutional limitations, and from other sources, for the support of local governmental functions, and for the purpose of reimbursing the state for the expense of administering this chapter, an excise tax is hereby levied on each retail sale made in this state.
(A) The tax shall be collected pursuant to the schedules in section 5739.025 of the Revised Code.
The tax applies and is collectible when the sale is made, regardless of the time when the price is paid or delivered.
In the case of a sale, the price of which consists in whole or in part of rentals for the use of the thing transferred, the tax, as regards such rentals, shall be measured by the installments thereof.
In the case of a sale of a service defined under division (MM) or (NN) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, the price of which consists in whole or in part of a membership for the receipt of the benefit of the service, the tax applicable to the sale shall be measured by the installments thereof.
(B) The tax does not apply to the following:
(1) Sales to the state or any of its political subdivisions, or to any other state or its political subdivisions if the laws of that state exempt from taxation sales made to this state and its political subdivisions;
(2) Sales of food for human consumption off the premises where sold;
(3) Sales of food sold to students only in a cafeteria, dormitory, fraternity, or sorority maintained in a private, public, or parochial school, college, or university;
(4) Sales of newspapers, and of magazine subscriptions shipped by second class mail, and sales or transfers of magazines distributed as controlled circulation publications;
(5) The furnishing, preparing, or serving of meals without charge by an employer to an employee provided the employer records the meals as part compensation for services performed or work done;
(6) Sales of motor fuel upon receipt, use, distribution, or sale of which in this state a tax is imposed by the law of this state, but this exemption shall not apply to the sale of motor fuel on which a refund of the tax is allowable under section 5735.14 of the Revised Code; and the tax commissioner may deduct the amount of tax levied by this section applicable to the price of motor fuel when granting a refund of motor fuel tax pursuant to section 5735.14 of the Revised Code and shall cause the amount deducted to be paid into the general revenue fund of this state;
(7) Sales of natural gas by a natural gas company, of water by a water-works company, or of steam by a heating company, if in each case the thing sold is delivered to consumers through pipes or conduits, and all sales of communications services by a telephone or telegraph company, all terms as defined in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code;
(8) Casual sales by a person, or auctioneer employed directly by the person to conduct such sales, except as to such sales of motor vehicles, watercraft or outboard motors required to be titled under section 1548.06 of the Revised Code, watercraft documented with the United States coast guard, snowmobiles, and all-purpose vehicles as defined in section 4519.01 of the Revised Code;
(9) Sales of services or tangible personal property, other than motor vehicles, mobile homes, and manufactured homes, by churches, organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or nonprofit organizations operated exclusively for charitable purposes as defined in division (B)(12) of this section, provided that the number of days on which such tangible personal property or services, other than items never subject to the tax, are sold does not exceed six in any calendar year. If the number of days on which such sales are made exceeds six in any calendar year, the church or organization shall be considered to be engaged in business and all subsequent sales by it shall be subject to the tax. In counting the number of days, all sales by groups within a church or within an organization shall be considered to be sales of that church or organization, except that sales made by separate student clubs and other groups of students of a primary or secondary school, and sales made by a parent-teacher association, booster group, or similar organization that raises money to support or fund curricular or extracurricular activities of a primary or secondary school, shall not be considered to be sales of such school, and sales by each such club, group, association, or organization shall be counted separately for purposes of the six-day limitation. This division does not apply to sales by a noncommercial educational radio or television broadcasting station.
(10) Sales not within the taxing power of this state under the Constitution of the United States;
(11) The transportation of persons or property, unless the transportation is by a private investigation and security service;
(12) Sales of tangible personal property or services to churches, to organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and to any other nonprofit organizations operated exclusively for charitable purposes in this state, no part of the net income of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and no substantial part of the activities of which consists of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; sales to offices administering one or more homes for the aged or one or more hospital facilities exempt under section 140.08 of the Revised Code; and sales to organizations described in division (D) of section 5709.12 of the Revised Code.
"Charitable purposes" means the relief of poverty; the improvement of health through the alleviation of illness, disease, or injury; the operation of an organization exclusively for the provision of professional, laundry, printing, and purchasing services to hospitals or charitable institutions; the operation of a home for the aged, as defined in section 5701.13 of the Revised Code; the operation of a radio or television broadcasting station that is licensed by the federal communications commission as a noncommercial educational radio or television station; the operation of a nonprofit animal adoption service or a county humane society; the promotion of education by an institution of learning that maintains a faculty of qualified instructors, teaches regular continuous courses of study, and confers a recognized diploma upon completion of a specific curriculum; the operation of a parent-teacher association, booster group, or similar organization primarily engaged in the promotion and support of the curricular or extracurricular activities of a primary or secondary school; the operation of a community or area center in which presentations in music, dramatics, the arts, and related fields are made in order to foster public interest and education therein; the production of performances in music, dramatics, and the arts; or the promotion of education by an organization engaged in carrying on research in, or the dissemination of, scientific and technological knowledge and information primarily for the public.
Nothing in this division shall be deemed to exempt sales to any organization for use in the operation or carrying on of a trade or business, or sales to a home for the aged for use in the operation of independent living facilities as defined in division (A) of section 5709.12 of the Revised Code.
(13) Building and construction materials and services sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property under a construction contract with this state or a political subdivision thereof, or with the United States government or any of its agencies; building and construction materials and services sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property that are accepted for ownership by this state or any of its political subdivisions, or by the United States government or any of its agencies at the time of completion of such structures or improvements; building and construction materials sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a horticulture structure or livestock structure for a person engaged in the business of horticulture or producing livestock; building materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into a house of public worship or religious education, or a building used exclusively for charitable purposes under a construction contract with an organization whose purpose is as described in division (B)(12) of this section; building materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into a building under a construction contract with an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 when the building is to be used exclusively for the organization's exempt purposes; building and construction materials sold for incorporation into the original construction of a sports facility under section 307.696 of the Revised Code; and building and construction materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into real property outside this state if such materials and services, when sold to a construction contractor in the state in which the real property is located for incorporation into real property in that state, would be exempt from a tax on sales levied by that state;
(14) Sales of ships or vessels or rail rolling stock used or to be used principally in interstate or foreign commerce, and repairs, alterations, fuel, and lubricants for such ships or vessels or rail rolling stock;
(15) Sales to persons engaged in any of the activities mentioned in division (E)(2) or (9) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, to persons engaged in making retail sales, or to persons who purchase for sale from a manufacturer tangible personal property that was produced by the manufacturer in accordance with specific designs provided by the purchaser, of packages, including material, labels, and parts for packages, and of machinery, equipment, and material for use primarily in packaging tangible personal property produced for sale, including any machinery, equipment, and supplies used to make labels or packages, to prepare packages or products for labeling, or to label packages or products, by or on the order of the person doing the packaging, or sold at retail. "Packages" includes bags, baskets, cartons, crates, boxes, cans, bottles, bindings, wrappings, and other similar devices and containers, and "packaging" means placing therein.
(16) Sales of food to persons using food stamp coupons to purchase the food. As used in division (B)(16) of this section, "food" has the same meaning as in the "Food Stamp Act of 1977," 91 Stat. 958, 7 U.S.C. 2012, as amended, and federal regulations adopted pursuant to that act.
(17) Sales to persons engaged in farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture, of tangible personal property for use or consumption directly in the production by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture of other tangible personal property for use or consumption directly in the production of tangible personal property for sale by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture; or material and parts for incorporation into any such tangible personal property for use or consumption in production; and of tangible personal property for such use or consumption in the conditioning or holding of products produced by and for such use, consumption, or sale by persons engaged in farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture, except where such property is incorporated into real property;
(18) Sales of drugs dispensed by a licensed pharmacist upon the order of a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs to a human being, as the term "licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs" is defined in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code; insulin as recognized in the official United States pharmacopoeia; urine and blood testing materials when used by diabetics or persons with hypoglycemia to test for glucose or acetone; hypodermic syringes and needles when used by diabetics for insulin injections; epoetin alfa when purchased for use in the treatment of persons with end-stage renal disease; hospital beds when purchased for use by persons with medical problems for medical purposes; and oxygen and oxygen-dispensing equipment when purchased for use by persons with medical problems for medical purposes;
(19)(a) Sales of artificial limbs or portion thereof, breast prostheses, and other prosthetic devices for humans; braces or other devices for supporting weakened or nonfunctioning parts of the human body; wheelchairs; devices used to lift wheelchairs into motor vehicles and parts and accessories to such devices; crutches or other devices to aid human perambulation; and items of tangible personal property used to supplement impaired functions of the human body such as respiration, hearing, or elimination;
(b) Sales of wheelchairs; items incorporated into or used in conjunction with a motor vehicle for the purpose of transporting wheelchairs, other than transportation conducted in connection with the sale or delivery of wheelchairs; and items incorporated into or used in conjunction with a motor vehicle that are specifically designed to assist a person with a disability to access or operate the motor vehicle. As used in this division, "person with a disability" means any person who has lost the use of one or both legs or one or both arms, who is blind, deaf, or disabled to the extent that the person is unable to move about without the aid of crutches or a wheelchair, or whose mobility is restricted by a permanent cardiovascular, pulmonary, or other disabling condition. No
(c) No exemption under this division shall be allowed for nonprescription drugs, medicines, or remedies; items or devices used to supplement vision; items or devices whose function is solely or primarily cosmetic; or physical fitness equipment. This division does not apply to sales to a physician or medical facility for use in the treatment of a patient.
(20) Sales of emergency and fire protection vehicles and equipment to nonprofit organizations for use solely in providing fire protection and emergency services, including trauma care and emergency medical services, for political subdivisions of the state;
(21) Sales of tangible personal property manufactured in this state, if sold by the manufacturer in this state to a retailer for use in the retail business of the retailer outside of this state and if possession is taken from the manufacturer by the purchaser within this state for the sole purpose of immediately removing the same from this state in a vehicle owned by the purchaser;
(22) Sales of services provided by the state or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities, institutions, or authorities, or by governmental entities of the state or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities, institutions, or authorities;
(23) Sales of motor vehicles to nonresidents of this state upon the presentation of an affidavit executed in this state by the nonresident purchaser affirming that the purchaser is a nonresident of this state, that possession of the motor vehicle is taken in this state for the sole purpose of immediately removing it from this state, that the motor vehicle will be permanently titled and registered in another state, and that the motor vehicle will not be used in this state;
(24) Sales to persons engaged in the preparation of eggs for sale of tangible personal property used or consumed directly in such preparation, including such tangible personal property used for cleaning, sanitizing, preserving, grading, sorting, and classifying by size; packages, including material and parts for packages, and machinery, equipment, and material for use in packaging eggs for sale; and handling and transportation equipment and parts therefor, except motor vehicles licensed to operate on public highways, used in intraplant or interplant transfers or shipment of eggs in the process of preparation for sale, when the plant or plants within or between which such transfers or shipments occur are operated by the same person. "Packages" includes containers, cases, baskets, flats, fillers, filler flats, cartons, closure materials, labels, and labeling materials, and "packaging" means placing therein.
(25)(a) Sales of water to a consumer for residential use, except the sale of bottled water, distilled water, mineral water, carbonated water, or ice;
(b) Sales of water by a nonprofit corporation engaged exclusively in the treatment, distribution, and sale of water to consumers, if such water is delivered to consumers through pipes or tubing.
(26) Fees charged for inspection or reinspection of motor vehicles under section 3704.14 of the Revised Code;
(27) Sales to persons licensed to conduct a food service operation pursuant to section 3717.43 of the Revised Code, of tangible personal property primarily used directly for the following:
(a) To prepare food for human consumption for sale;
(b) To preserve food that has been or will be prepared for human consumption for sale by the food service operator, not including tangible personal property used to display food for selection by the consumer;
(c) To clean tangible personal property used to prepare or serve food for human consumption for sale.
(28) Sales of animals by nonprofit animal adoption services or county humane societies;
(29) Sales of services to a corporation described in division (A) of section 5709.72 of the Revised Code, and sales of tangible personal property that qualifies for exemption from taxation under section 5709.72 of the Revised Code;
(30) Sales and installation of agricultural land tile, as defined in division (B)(5)(a) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;
(31) Sales and erection or installation of portable grain bins, as defined in division (B)(5)(b) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;
(32) The sale, lease, repair, and maintenance of, parts for, or items attached to or incorporated in, motor vehicles that are primarily used for transporting tangible personal property by a person engaged in highway transportation for hire;
(33) Sales to the state headquarters of any veterans' organization in Ohio that is either incorporated and issued a charter by the congress of the United States or is recognized by the United States veterans administration, for use by the headquarters;
(34) Sales to a telecommunications service vendor of tangible personal property and services used directly and primarily in transmitting, receiving, switching, or recording any interactive, two-way electromagnetic communications, including voice, image, data, and information, through the use of any medium, including, but not limited to, poles, wires, cables, switching equipment, computers, and record storage devices and media, and component parts for the tangible personal property. The exemption provided in division (B)(34) of this section shall be in lieu of all other exceptions under division (E)(2) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code to which a telecommunications service vendor may otherwise be entitled based upon the use of the thing purchased in providing the telecommunications service.
(35) Sales of investment metal bullion and investment coins. "Investment metal bullion" means any elementary precious metal that has been put through a process of smelting or refining, including, but not limited to, gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, and which is in such state or condition that its value depends upon its content and not upon its form. "Investment metal bullion" does not include fabricated precious metal that has been processed or manufactured for one or more specific and customary industrial, professional, or artistic uses. "Investment coins" means numismatic coins or other forms of money and legal tender manufactured of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, or other metal under the laws of the United States or any foreign nation with a fair market value greater than any statutory or nominal value of such coins.
(36)(a) Sales where the purpose of the consumer is to use or consume the things transferred in making retail sales and consisting of newspaper inserts, catalogues, coupons, flyers, gift certificates, or other advertising material that prices and describes tangible personal property offered for retail sale.
(b) Sales to direct marketing vendors of preliminary materials such as photographs, artwork, and typesetting that will be used in printing advertising material; of printed matter that offers free merchandise or chances to win sweepstake prizes and that is mailed to potential customers with advertising material described in division (B)(36)(a) of this section; and of equipment such as telephones, computers, facsimile machines, and similar tangible personal property primarily used to accept orders for direct marketing retail sales.
(c) Sales of automatic food vending machines that preserve food with a shelf life of forty-five days or less by refrigeration and dispense it to the consumer.
For purposes of division (B)(36) of this section, "direct marketing" means the method of selling where consumers order tangible personal property by United States mail, delivery service, or telecommunication and the vendor delivers or ships the tangible personal property sold to the consumer from a warehouse, catalogue distribution center, or similar fulfillment facility by means of the United States mail, delivery service, or common carrier.
(37) Sales to a person engaged in the business of horticulture or producing livestock of materials to be incorporated into a horticulture structure or livestock structure;
(38) The sale of a motor vehicle that is used exclusively for a vanpool ridesharing arrangement to persons participating in the vanpool ridesharing arrangement when the vendor is selling the vehicle pursuant to a contract between the vendor and the department of transportation;
(39) Sales of personal computers, computer monitors, computer keyboards, modems, and other peripheral computer equipment to an individual who is licensed or certified to teach in an elementary or a secondary school in this state for use by that individual in preparation for teaching elementary or secondary school students;
(40) Sales to a professional racing team of any of the following:
(a) Motor racing vehicles;
(b) Repair services for motor racing vehicles;
(c) Items of property that are attached to or incorporated in motor racing vehicles, including engines, chassis, and all other components of the vehicles, and all spare, replacement, and rebuilt parts or components of the vehicles; except not including tires, consumable fluids, paint, and accessories consisting of instrumentation sensors and related items added to the vehicle to collect and transmit data by means of telemetry and other forms of communication.
(41) Sales of used manufactured homes and used mobile homes, as defined in section 5739.0210 of the Revised Code, made on or after January 1, 2000;
(42) Sales of tangible personal property and services to a provider of electricity used or consumed directly and primarily in generating, transmitting, or distributing electricity for use by others, including property that is or is to be incorporated into and will become a part of the consumer's production, transmission, or distribution system and that retains its classification as tangible personal property after incorporation; fuel or power used in the production, transmission, or distribution of electricity; and tangible personal property and services used in the repair and maintenance of the production, transmission, or distribution system, including only those motor vehicles as are specially designed and equipped for such use. The exemption provided in this division shall be in lieu of all other exceptions in division (E)(2) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code to which a provider of electricity may otherwise be entitled based on the use of the tangible personal property or service purchased in generating, transmitting, or distributing electricity.
For the purpose of the proper administration of this chapter, and to prevent the evasion of the tax, it is presumed that all sales made in this state are subject to the tax until the contrary is established.
As used in this section, except in division (B)(16) of this section, "food" includes cereals and cereal products, milk and milk products including ice cream, meat and meat products, fish and fish products, eggs and egg products, vegetables and vegetable products, fruits, fruit products, and pure fruit juices, condiments, sugar and sugar products, coffee and coffee substitutes, tea, and cocoa and cocoa products. It does not include: spirituous or malt liquors; soft drinks; sodas and beverages that are ordinarily dispensed at bars and soda fountains or in connection therewith, other than coffee, tea, and cocoa; root beer and root beer extracts; malt and malt extracts; mineral oils, cod liver oils, and halibut liver oil; medicines, including tonics, vitamin preparations, and other products sold primarily for their medicinal properties; and water, including mineral, bottled, and carbonated waters, and ice.
(C) The levy of an excise tax on transactions by which lodging by a hotel is or is to be furnished to transient guests pursuant to this section and division (B) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code does not prevent any of the following:
(1) A municipal corporation or township from levying an excise tax for any lawful purpose not to exceed three per cent on transactions by which lodging by a hotel is or is to be furnished to transient guests in addition to the tax levied by this section. If a municipal corporation or township repeals a tax imposed under division (C)(1) of this section and a county in which the municipal corporation or township has territory has a tax imposed under division (C) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code in effect, the municipal corporation or township may not reimpose its tax as long as that county tax remains in effect. A municipal corporation or township in which a tax is levied under division (B)(2) of section 351.021 of the Revised Code may not increase the rate of its tax levied under division (C)(1) of this section to any rate that would cause the total taxes levied under both of those divisions to exceed three per cent on any lodging transaction within the municipal corporation or township.
(2) A municipal corporation or a township from levying an additional excise tax not to exceed three per cent on such transactions pursuant to division (B) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code. Such tax is in addition to any tax imposed under division (C)(1) of this section.
(3) A county from levying an excise tax pursuant to division (A) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code.
(4) A county from levying an excise tax not to exceed three per cent of such transactions pursuant to division (C) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code. Such a tax is in addition to any tax imposed under division (C)(3) of this section.
(5) A convention facilities authority, as defined in division (A) of section 351.01 of the Revised Code, from levying the excise taxes provided for in division (B) of section 351.021 of the Revised Code.
(6) A county from levying an excise tax not to exceed one and one-half per cent of such transactions pursuant to division (D) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code. Such tax is in addition to any tax imposed under division (C)(3) or (4) of this section.
(7) A county from levying an excise tax not to exceed one and one-half per cent of such transactions pursuant to division (E) of section 5739.024 of the Revised Code. Such a tax is in addition to any tax imposed under division (C)(3), (4), or (6) of this section.
(D) The levy of this tax on retail sales of recreation and sports club service shall not prevent a municipal corporation from levying any tax on recreation and sports club dues or on any income generated by recreation and sports club dues.
Section 2. That existing section 5739.02 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.
Section 3.  Section 5739.02 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 138, H.B. 612, and Am. Sub. H.B. 640 all of the 123rd General Assembly. This is in recognition of the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that such amendments are to be harmonized where not substantively irreconcilable and constitutes a legislative finding that such is the resulting version in effect prior to the effective date of this act.
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