(35 ILCS 130/4b) (from Ch. 120, par. 453.4b)

Sec. 4b.

(a) The Department may, in its discretion, upon application, issue
permits authorizing the payment of the tax herein imposed by out-of-State
cigarette manufacturers who are not required to be licensed as distributors
of cigarettes in this State, but who elect to qualify under this Act as
distributors of cigarettes in this State, and who, to the satisfaction of
the Department, furnish adequate security to insure payment of the tax,
provided that any such permit shall extend only to cigarettes which such
permittee manufacturer places in original packages that are contained
inside a sealed transparent wrapper.  Such permits shall be issued without
charge in such form as the Department may prescribe and shall not be
transferable or assignable.

The following are ineligible to receive a distributor's permit under
this subsection:

(1) a person who is not of good character and reputation in the community in which he

resides; the Department may consider past conviction of a felony but the conviction shall not operate as an absolute bar to receiving a permit;

(2) a person who has been convicted of a felony under any Federal or State law, if the

Department, after investigation and a hearing and consideration of mitigating factors and evidence of rehabilitation contained in the applicant's record, including those in Section 4i of this Act, determines that such person has not been sufficiently rehabilitated to warrant the public trust and the conviction will impair the ability of the person to engage in the position for which a permit is sought;

(3) a corporation, if any officer, manager or director thereof, or any stockholder or

stockholders owning in the aggregate more than 5% of the stock of such corporation, would not be eligible to receive a permit under this Act for any reason.

With respect to cigarettes which come within the scope of such a permit
and which any such permittee delivers or causes to be delivered in Illinois
to licensed distributors, such permittee shall remit the tax imposed by this Act at
the times provided for in Section 3 of this Act. Each such remittance
shall be accompanied by a return filed with the Department on a form to be
prescribed and furnished by the Department and shall disclose such
information as the Department may lawfully require.  The Department may promulgate rules to require that the permittee's return be accompanied by appropriate computer-generated magnetic media supporting schedule data in the format prescribed by the Department, unless, as provided by rule, the Department grants an exception upon petition of the permittee. Each such return shall
be accompanied by a copy of each invoice rendered by the permittee to any
licensed distributor to whom the permittee delivered cigarettes of the type covered by
the permit (or caused cigarettes of the type covered by the permit to be
delivered) in Illinois during the period covered by such return.

Such permit may be suspended, canceled or revoked when, at any time, the
Department considers that the security given is inadequate, or that such
tax can more effectively be collected from distributors located in this
State, or whenever the permittee violates any provision of this Act or any
lawful rule or regulation issued by the Department pursuant to this Act or
is determined to be ineligible for a distributor's permit under this Act as
provided in this Section, whenever the permittee shall notify the
Department in writing of his desire to have the permit canceled.  The
Department shall have the power, in its discretion, to issue a new permit
after such suspension, cancellation or revocation, except when the person
who would receive the permit is ineligible to receive a distributor's
permit under this Act.

All permits issued by the Department under this Act shall be valid for
not to exceed one year after issuance unless sooner revoked, canceled or
suspended as in this Act provided.

(b) Out-of-state cigarette manufacturers who are not required to be licensed as distributors of cigarettes in this State and who do not elect to obtain approval under subsection 4b(a) to pay the tax imposed by this Act, but who elect to qualify under this Act as distributors of cigarettes in this State for purposes of shipping and delivering unstamped original packages of cigarettes into this State to licensed distributors, shall obtain a permit from the Department. These permits shall be issued without charge in such form as the Department may prescribe and shall not be transferable or assignable.

The following are ineligible to receive a distributor's permit under this subsection:
(1) a person who is not of good character and reputation in the community in which he or

she resides; the Department may consider past conviction of a felony but the conviction shall not operate as an absolute bar to receiving a permit;

(2) a person who has been convicted of a felony under any federal or State law, if the

Department, after investigation and a hearing and consideration of mitigating factors and evidence of rehabilitation contained in the applicant's record, including those set forth in Section 4i of this Act, determines that the person has not been sufficiently rehabilitated to warrant the public trust and the conviction will impair the ability of the person to engage in the position for which a permit is sought; and

(3) a corporation, if any officer, manager, or director thereof, or any stockholder or

stockholders owning in the aggregate more than 5% of the stock of the corporation, would not be eligible to receive a permit under this Act for any reason.

With respect to original packages of cigarettes that such permittee delivers or causes to be delivered in Illinois and distributes to the public for promotional purposes without consideration, the permittee shall pay the tax imposed by this Act by remitting the amount thereof to the Department by the 5th day of each month covering cigarettes shipped or otherwise delivered in Illinois for those purposes during the preceding calendar month. The permittee, before delivering those cigarettes or causing those cigarettes to be delivered in this State, shall evidence his or her obligation to remit the taxes due with respect to those cigarettes by imprinting language to be prescribed by the Department on each original package of cigarettes, in such place thereon and in such manner also to be prescribed by the Department. The imprinted language shall acknowledge the permittee's payment of or liability for the tax imposed by this Act with respect to the distribution of those cigarettes.

With respect to cigarettes that the permittee delivers or causes to be delivered in Illinois to Illinois licensed distributors or distributed to the public for promotional purposes, the permittee shall, by the 5th day of each month, file with the Department, a report covering cigarettes shipped or otherwise delivered in Illinois to licensed distributors or distributed to the public for promotional purposes during the preceding calendar month on a form to be prescribed and furnished by the Department and shall disclose such other information as the Department may lawfully require. The Department may promulgate rules to require that the permittee's report be accompanied by appropriate computer-generated magnetic media supporting schedule data in the format prescribed by the Department, unless, as provided by rule, the Department grants an exception upon petition of the permittee. Each such report shall be accompanied by a copy of each invoice rendered by the permittee to any purchaser to whom the permittee delivered cigarettes of the type covered by the permit (or caused cigarettes of the type covered by the permit to be delivered) in Illinois during the period covered by such report.

Such permit may be suspended, canceled, or revoked whenever the permittee violates any provision of this Act or any lawful rule or regulation issued by the Department pursuant to this Act, is determined to be ineligible for a distributor's permit under this Act as provided in this Section, or notifies the Department in writing of his or her desire to have the permit canceled. The Department shall have the power, in its discretion, to issue a new permit after such suspension, cancellation, or revocation, except when the person who would receive the permit is ineligible to receive a distributor's permit under this Act.

All permits issued by the Department under this Act shall be valid for a period not to exceed one year after issuance unless sooner revoked, canceled, or suspended as provided in this Act.

(Source: P.A. 100-286, eff. 1-1-18.)