(55 ILCS 5/5-1008.5)

Sec. 5-1008.5. Use and occupation taxes.

(a) The Rock Island County Board may adopt a resolution that authorizes a referendum on the question of whether the county shall be authorized to impose a retailers' occupation tax, a service occupation tax, and a use tax at a rate of 1/4 of 1% on behalf of the economic development activities of Rock Island County and communities located within the county. The county board shall certify the question to the proper election authorities who shall submit the question to the voters of the county at the next regularly scheduled election in accordance with the general election law. The question shall be in substantially the following form:

Shall Rock Island County be authorized to impose a retailers' occupation tax, a service occupation tax, and a use tax at the rate of 1/4 of 1% for the sole purpose of economic development activities, including creation and retention of job opportunities, support of affordable housing opportunities, and enhancement of quality of life improvements?

Votes shall be recorded as "yes" or "no". If a majority of all votes cast on the proposition are in favor of the proposition, the county is authorized to impose the tax.

(b) The county shall impose the retailers' occupation tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail in the county, at the rate approved by referendum, on the gross receipts from the sales made in the course of those businesses within the county. This additional tax may not be imposed on tangible personal property taxed at the 1% rate under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Beginning December 1, 2019, this tax is not imposed on sales of aviation fuel unless the tax revenue is expended for airport-related purposes. If the county does not have an airport-related purpose to which it dedicates aviation fuel tax revenue, then aviation fuel is excluded from the tax. The county must comply with the certification requirements for airport-related purposes under Section 2-22 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. For purposes of this Section, "airport-related purposes" has the meaning ascribed in Section 6z-20.2 of the State Finance Act. This exclusion for aviation fuel only applies for so long as the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133 are binding on the county. The tax imposed under this Section and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident of the tax shall be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue. The Department has full power to administer and enforce this Section; to collect all taxes and penalties so collected in the manner provided in this Section; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty under this Section. In the administration of, and compliance with, this Section, the Department and persons who are subject to this Section shall (i) have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, (ii) be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions, and definitions of terms, and (iii) employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 1, 1a, 1a-1, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1m, 1n, 2, 2-5, 2-5.5, 2-10 (in respect to all provisions other than the State rate of tax), 2-15 through 2-70, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected and provisions related to quarter monthly payments, and except that the retailer's discount is not allowed for taxes paid on aviation fuel that are subject to the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133), 4, 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5i, 5j, 5k, 5l, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11a, 12, and 13 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and Section 3-7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth in this subsection.

Persons subject to any tax imposed under this subsection may reimburse themselves for their seller's tax liability by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State taxes that sellers are required to collect, in accordance with bracket schedules prescribed by the Department.

Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this subsection to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the tax fund referenced under paragraph (g) of this Section or the Local Government Aviation Trust Fund, as appropriate.

If a tax is imposed under this subsection (b), a tax shall also be imposed at the same rate under subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.

For the purpose of determining whether a tax authorized under this Section is applicable, a retail sale, by a producer of coal or another mineral mined in Illinois, is a sale at retail at the place where the coal or other mineral mined in Illinois is extracted from the earth. This paragraph does not apply to coal or another mineral when it is delivered or shipped by the seller to the purchaser at a point outside Illinois so that the sale is exempt under the federal Constitution as a sale in interstate or foreign commerce.

Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the county to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business that under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by this State.

(c) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a service occupation tax shall also be imposed at the same rate upon all persons engaged, in the county, in the business of making sales of service, who, as an incident to making those sales of service, transfer tangible personal property within the county as an incident to a sale of service. This additional tax may not be imposed on tangible personal property taxed at the 1% rate under the Service Occupation Tax Act. Beginning December 1, 2019, this tax is not imposed on sales of aviation fuel unless the tax revenue is expended for airport-related purposes. If the county does not have an airport-related purpose to which it dedicates aviation fuel tax revenue, then aviation fuel is excluded from the tax. The county must comply with the certification requirements for airport-related purposes under Section 2-22 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. For purposes of this Section, "airport-related purposes" has the meaning ascribed in Section 6z-20.2 of the State Finance Act. This exclusion for aviation fuel only applies for so long as the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133 are binding on the county. The tax imposed under this subsection and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident of the tax shall be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue. The Department has full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes and penalties due under this Section; to dispose of taxes and penalties so collected in the manner provided in this Section; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty under this Section. In the administration of, and compliance with this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall (i) have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers, and duties, (ii) be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions, and definitions of terms, and (iii) employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 2 (except that the reference to State in the definition of supplier maintaining a place of business in this State shall mean the county), 2a, 2b, 3 through 3-55 (in respect to all provisions other than the State rate of tax), 4 (except that the reference to the State shall be to the county), 5, 7, 8 (except that the jurisdiction to which the tax shall be a debt to the extent indicated in that Section 8 shall be the county), 9 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected, and except that the returned merchandise credit for this tax may not be taken against any State tax, and except that the retailer's discount is not allowed for taxes paid on aviation fuel that are subject to the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133), 11, 12 (except the reference to Section 2b of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act), 13 (except that any reference to the State shall mean the county), 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Service Occupation Tax Act and Section 3-7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth in this subsection.

Persons subject to any tax imposed under the authority granted in this subsection may reimburse themselves for their serviceman's tax liability by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax that servicemen are authorized to collect under the Service Use Tax Act, in accordance with bracket schedules prescribed by the Department.

Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this subsection to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the tax fund referenced under paragraph (g) of this Section or the Local Government Aviation Trust Fund, as appropriate.

Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the county to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business that under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by the State.

(d) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a use tax shall also be imposed at the same rate upon the privilege of using, in the county, any item of tangible personal property that is purchased outside the county at retail from a retailer, and that is titled or registered at a location within the county with an agency of this State's government. "Selling price" is defined as in the Use Tax Act. The tax shall be collected from persons whose Illinois address for titling or registration purposes is given as being in the county. The tax shall be collected by the Department of Revenue for the county. The tax must be paid to the State, or an exemption determination must be obtained from the Department of Revenue, before the title or certificate of registration for the property may be issued. The tax or proof of exemption may be transmitted to the Department by way of the State agency with which, or the State officer with whom, the tangible personal property must be titled or registered if the Department and the State agency or State officer determine that this procedure will expedite the processing of applications for title or registration.

The Department has full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes, penalties, and interest due under this Section; to dispose of taxes, penalties, and interest so collected in the manner provided in this Section; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda or refunds arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax, penalty, or interest under this Section. In the administration of, and compliance with, this subsection, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall (i) have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers, and duties, (ii) be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions, and definitions of terms, and (iii) employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 2 (except the definition of "retailer maintaining a place of business in this State"), 3, 3-5, 3-10, 3-45, 3-55, 3-65, 3-70, 3-85, 3a, 4, 6, 7, 8 (except that the jurisdiction to which the tax shall be a debt to the extent indicated in that Section 8 shall be the county), 9 (except provisions relating to quarter monthly payments), 10, 11, 12, 12a, 12b, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, and 22 of the Use Tax Act and Section 3-7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, that are not inconsistent with this paragraph, as fully as if those provisions were set forth in this subsection.

Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this subsection to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the order to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the tax fund referenced under paragraph (g) of this Section.

(e) A certificate of registration issued by the State Department of Revenue to a retailer under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or under the Service Occupation Tax Act shall permit the registrant to engage in a business that is taxed under the tax imposed under paragraphs (b), (c), or (d) of this Section and no additional registration shall be required. A certificate issued under the Use Tax Act or the Service Use Tax Act shall be applicable with regard to any tax imposed under paragraph (c) of this Section.

(f) The results of any election authorizing a proposition to impose a tax under this Section or effecting a change in the rate of tax shall be certified by the proper election authorities and filed with the Illinois Department on or before the first day of October. In addition, an ordinance imposing, discontinuing, or effecting a change in the rate of tax under this Section shall be adopted and a certified copy of the ordinance filed with the Department on or before the first day of October. After proper receipt of the certifications, the Department shall proceed to administer and enforce this Section as of the first day of January next following the adoption and filing.

(g) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (g-2), the Department of Revenue shall, upon collecting any taxes and penalties as provided in this Section, pay the taxes and penalties over to the State Treasurer as trustee for the county. The taxes and penalties shall be held in a trust fund outside the State Treasury. On or before the 25th day of each calendar month, the Department of Revenue shall prepare and certify to the Comptroller of the State of Illinois the amount to be paid to the county, which shall be the balance in the fund, less any amount determined by the Department to be necessary for the payment of refunds. Within 10 days after receipt by the Comptroller of the certification of the amount to be paid to the county, the Comptroller shall cause an order to be drawn for payment for the amount in accordance with the directions contained in the certification. Amounts received from the tax imposed under this Section shall be used only for the economic development activities of the county and communities located within the county.

(g-2) Taxes and penalties collected on aviation fuel sold on or after December 1, 2019, shall be immediately paid over by the Department to the State Treasurer, ex officio, as trustee, for deposit into the Local Government Aviation Trust Fund. The Department shall only pay moneys into the Local Government Aviation Trust Fund under this Section for so long as the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133 are binding on the county.

(h) When certifying the amount of a monthly disbursement to the county under this Section, the Department shall increase or decrease the amounts by an amount necessary to offset any miscalculation of previous disbursements. The offset amount shall be the amount erroneously disbursed within the previous 6 months from the time a miscalculation is discovered.

(i) This Section may be cited as the Rock Island County Use and Occupation Tax Law.

(Source: P.A. 100-1171, eff. 1-4-19; 101-10, eff. 6-5-19; 101-604, eff. 12-13-19.)