35 ILCS 130/3

(35 ILCS 130/3) (from Ch. 120, par. 453.3)

Sec. 3. Affixing tax stamp; remitting tax to the Department. Payment of the taxes imposed by Section 2 of this Act shall (except as hereinafter provided) be evidenced by revenue tax stamps affixed to each original package of cigarettes. Each distributor of cigarettes, before delivering or causing to be delivered any original package of cigarettes in this State to a purchaser, shall firmly affix a proper stamp or stamps to each such package, or (in case of manufacturers of cigarettes in original packages which are contained inside a sealed transparent wrapper) shall imprint the required language on the original package of cigarettes beneath such outside wrapper, as hereinafter provided.

No stamp or imprint may be affixed to, or made upon, any package of cigarettes unless that package complies with all requirements of the federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 U.S.C. 1331 and following, for the placement of labels, warnings, or any other information upon a package of cigarettes that is sold within the United States. Under the authority of Section 6, the Department shall revoke the license of any distributor that is determined to have violated this paragraph. A person may not affix a stamp on a package of cigarettes, cigarette papers, wrappers, or tubes if that individual package has been marked for export outside the United States with a label or notice in compliance with Section 290.185 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It is not a defense to a proceeding for violation of this paragraph that the label or notice has been removed, mutilated, obliterated, or altered in any manner.

Only distributors licensed under this Act and transporters, as defined in Section 9c of this Act, may possess unstamped original packages of cigarettes. Prior to shipment to a secondary distributor or an Illinois retailer, a stamp shall be applied to each original package of cigarettes sold to the secondary distributor or retailer. A distributor may apply tax stamps only to original packages of cigarettes purchased or obtained directly from an in-state maker, manufacturer, or fabricator licensed as a distributor under Section 4 of this Act or an out-of-state maker, manufacturer, or fabricator holding a permit under Section 4b of this Act. A licensed distributor may ship or otherwise cause to be delivered unstamped original packages of cigarettes in, into, or from this State. A licensed distributor may transport unstamped original packages of cigarettes to a facility, wherever located, owned or controlled by such distributor; however, a distributor may not transport unstamped original packages of cigarettes to a facility where retail sales of cigarettes take place or to a facility where a secondary distributor makes sales for resale. Any licensed distributor that ships or otherwise causes to be delivered unstamped original packages of cigarettes into, within, or from this State shall ensure that the invoice or equivalent documentation and the bill of lading or freight bill for the shipment identifies the true name and address of the consignor or seller, the true name and address of the consignee or purchaser, and the quantity by brand style of the cigarettes so transported, provided that this Section shall not be construed as to impose any requirement or liability upon any common or contract carrier.

The Department, or any person authorized by the Department, shall sell such stamps only to persons holding valid licenses as distributors under this Act. On and after July 1, 2003, payment for such stamps must be made by means of electronic funds transfer. The Department may refuse to sell stamps to any person who does not comply with the provisions of this Act. Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly and through June 30, 2002, persons holding valid licenses as distributors may purchase cigarette tax stamps up to an amount equal to 115% of the distributor's average monthly cigarette tax stamp purchases over the 12 calendar months prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly.

Prior to December 1, 1985, the Department shall allow a distributor 21 days in which to make final payment of the amount to be paid for such stamps, by allowing the distributor to make payment for the stamps at the time of purchasing them with a draft which shall be in such form as the Department prescribes, and which shall be payable within 21 days thereafter: Provided that such distributor has filed with the Department, and has received the Department's approval of, a bond, which is in addition to the bond required under Section 4 of this Act, payable to the Department in an amount equal to 80% of such distributor's average monthly tax liability to the Department under this Act during the preceding calendar year or $500,000, whichever is less. The Bond shall be joint and several and shall be in the form of a surety company bond in such form as the Department prescribes, or it may be in the form of a bank certificate of deposit or bank letter of credit. The bond shall be conditioned upon the distributor's payment of amount of any 21-day draft which the Department accepts from that distributor for the delivery of stamps to that distributor under this Act. The distributor's failure to pay any such draft, when due, shall also make such distributor automatically liable to the Department for a penalty equal to 25% of the amount of such draft.

On and after December 1, 1985 and until July 1, 2003, the Department shall allow a distributor 30 days in which to make final payment of the amount to be paid for such stamps, by allowing the distributor to make payment for the stamps at the time of purchasing them with a draft which shall be in such form as the Department prescribes, and which shall be payable within 30 days thereafter, and beginning on January 1, 2003 and thereafter, the draft shall be payable by means of electronic funds transfer: Provided that such distributor has filed with the Department, and has received the Department's approval of, a bond, which is in addition to the bond required under Section 4 of this Act, payable to the Department in an amount equal to 150% of such distributor's average monthly tax liability to the Department under this Act during the preceding calendar year or $750,000, whichever is less, except that as to bonds filed on or after January 1, 1987, such additional bond shall be in an amount equal to 100% of such distributor's average monthly tax liability under this Act during the preceding calendar year or $750,000, whichever is less. The bond shall be joint and several and shall be in the form of a surety company bond in such form as the Department prescribes, or it may be in the form of a bank certificate of deposit or bank letter of credit. The bond shall be conditioned upon the distributor's payment of the amount of any 30-day draft which the Department accepts from that distributor for the delivery of stamps to that distributor under this Act. The distributor's failure to pay any such draft, when due, shall also make such distributor automatically liable to the Department for a penalty equal to 25% of the amount of such draft.

Every prior continuous compliance taxpayer shall be exempt from all requirements under this Section concerning the furnishing of such bond, as defined in this Section, as a condition precedent to his being authorized to engage in the business licensed under this Act. This exemption shall continue for each such taxpayer until such time as he may be determined by the Department to be delinquent in the filing of any returns, or is determined by the Department (either through the Department's issuance of a final assessment which has become final under the Act, or by the taxpayer's filing of a return which admits tax to be due that is not paid) to be delinquent or deficient in the paying of any tax under this Act, at which time that taxpayer shall become subject to the bond requirements of this Section and, as a condition of being allowed to continue to engage in the business licensed under this Act, shall be required to furnish bond to the Department in such form as provided in this Section. Such taxpayer shall furnish such bond for a period of 2 years, after which, if the taxpayer has not been delinquent in the filing of any returns, or delinquent or deficient in the paying of any tax under this Act, the Department may reinstate such person as a prior continuance compliance taxpayer. Any taxpayer who fails to pay an admitted or established liability under this Act may also be required to post bond or other acceptable security with the Department guaranteeing the payment of such admitted or established liability.

Except as otherwise provided in this Section, any person aggrieved by any decision of the Department under this Section may, within the time allowed by law, protest and request a hearing, whereupon the Department shall give notice and shall hold a hearing in conformity with the provisions of this Act and then issue its final administrative decision in the matter to such person. On and after July 1, 2013, protests concerning matters that are subject to the jurisdiction of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal shall be filed with the Tribunal in accordance with the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012, and hearings on those matters shall be held before the Tribunal in accordance with that Act. With respect to protests filed with the Department prior to July 1, 2013 that would otherwise be subject to the jurisdiction of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal, the taxpayer may elect to be subject to the provisions of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012 at any time on or after July 1, 2013, but not later than 30 days after the date on which the protest was filed. If made, the election shall be irrevocable. In the absence of such a protest filed within the time allowed by law, the Department's decision shall become final without any further determination being made or notice given.

The Department shall discharge any surety and shall release and return any bond or security deposited, assigned, pledged, or otherwise provided to it by a taxpayer under this Section within 30 days after:

(1) Such taxpayer becomes a prior continuous compliance taxpayer; or

(2) Such taxpayer has ceased to collect receipts on which he is required to remit tax to the Department, has filed a final tax return, and has paid to the Department an amount sufficient to discharge his remaining tax liability as determined by the Department under this Act. The Department shall make a final determination of the taxpayer's outstanding tax liability as expeditiously as possible after his final tax return has been filed. If the Department cannot make such final determination within 45 days after receiving the final tax return, within such period it shall so notify the taxpayer, stating its reasons therefor.

The Department may authorize distributors to affix revenue tax stamps by imprinting tax meter stamps upon original packages of cigarettes. The Department shall adopt rules and regulations relating to the imprinting of such tax meter stamps as will result in payment of the proper taxes as herein imposed. No distributor may affix revenue tax stamps to original packages of cigarettes by imprinting tax meter stamps thereon unless such distributor has first obtained permission from the Department to employ this method of affixation. The Department shall regulate the use of tax meters and may, to assure the proper collection of the taxes imposed by this Act, revoke or suspend the privilege, theretofore granted by the Department to any distributor, to imprint tax meter stamps upon original packages of cigarettes.

Illinois cigarette manufacturers who place their cigarettes in original packages which are contained inside a sealed transparent wrapper, and similar out-of-State cigarette manufacturers who elect to qualify and are accepted by the Department as distributors under Section 4b(a) of this Act, shall pay the taxes 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 to purchasers during the preceding calendar month. Such manufacturers of cigarettes in original packages which are contained inside a sealed transparent wrapper, before delivering such cigarettes or causing such cigarettes to be delivered in this State to purchasers, shall evidence their obligation to remit the taxes due with respect to such cigarettes by imprinting language to be prescribed by the Department on each original package of such cigarettes underneath the sealed transparent outside wrapper of such original package, in such place thereon and in such manner as the Department may designate. Such imprinted language shall acknowledge the manufacturer's payment of or liability for the tax imposed by this Act with respect to the distribution of such cigarettes.

A distributor shall not affix, or cause to be affixed, any stamp or imprint to a package of cigarettes, as provided for in this Section, if the tobacco product manufacturer, as defined in Section 10 of the Tobacco Product Manufacturers' Escrow Act, that made or sold the cigarettes has failed to become a participating manufacturer, as defined in subdivision (a)(1) of Section 15 of the Tobacco Product Manufacturers' Escrow Act, or has failed to create a qualified escrow fund for any cigarettes manufactured by the tobacco product manufacturer and sold in this State or otherwise failed to bring itself into compliance with subdivision (a)(2) of Section 15 of the Tobacco Product Manufacturers' Escrow Act.

(Source: P.A. 97-1129, eff. 8-28-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)