Bill Text: VA HB685 | 2014 | Regular Session | Prefiled

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Bill Title: Communications sales and use tax revenues; changes distribution.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-03 - Stricken from docket by Finance by voice vote [HB685 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2014-HB685-Prefiled.html

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14100851D
HOUSE BILL NO. 685 Offered January 8, 2014 Prefiled January 7, 2014 A BILL to amend and reenact §58.1-662 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the distribution of communications sales and use tax revenues. ---------- Patron-- Torian ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §58.1-662 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§58.1-662. Disposition of communications sales and use tax revenue; Communications Sales and Use Tax Trust Fund; localities' share.

A. There is hereby created in the Department of the Treasury a special nonreverting fund which shall be known as the Communications Sales and Use Tax Trust Fund (the Fund). The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller and any funds remaining in the Fund at the end of a biennium shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Interest earned on the funds shall be credited to the Fund. After transferring moneys from the Fund to the Department of Taxation to pay for the direct costs of administering this chapter, the moneys in the Fund shall be allocated to the Commonwealth's counties, cities, and towns, and distributed in accordance with subsection C, after the payment (i) for the telephone relay service center is made to the Department of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing in accordance with the provisions of § 51.5-115 and (ii) of any franchise fee amount due to localities in accordance with any cable franchise in effect as of January 1, 2007.

B. The localities' share of the net revenue distributable under this section among the counties, cities, and towns shall be apportioned by the Tax Commissioner and distributed as soon as practicable after the close of each month during which the net revenue was received into the Fund. The distribution of the localities' share of such net revenue shall be computed with respect to the net revenue received in the state treasury during each month.

C. The net revenue distributable among the counties, cities, and towns shall be apportioned and distributed monthly according to each county's, city's, and town's pro rata distribution from the Fund in fiscal year 2010. Beginning July 1, 2011, the percentage share of the distribution due to Lancaster County shall be adjusted as if, in addition to the revenues Lancaster County received from telecommunications and television cable taxes in fiscal year 2006, it received $270,497 in local consumer utility taxes on telephone service in fiscal year 2006. Of the net revenue distributable, the amount received by each town shall be computed using the same proportion of revenues the town received from the Fund in fiscal year 2013-2014. All of the remaining net revenue distributable shall be distributed pro rata to those counties and cities that received a distribution from the Fund in fiscal year 2013-2014, based upon the county's or city's population as shown by the most recent United States census.

An amount equal to the total franchise fee paid to each locality with a cable franchise existing on the effective date of this section at the rate in existence on January 1, 2007, shall be subtracted from the amount owed to such locality prior to the distribution of moneys from the Fund.

The Department of Taxation shall adjust the percentage share of distribution from the Fund due to each locality a town entitled to a distribution from the Fund upon a ruling by the Tax Commissioner in favor of a county, city, or the town, provided that any such ruling in favor of a county, city, or the town shall not result in more than an aggregate of $100,000 being redistributed from all other counties, cities, and towns. Counties, cities, and towns Towns are authorized to request such ruling. The Tax Commissioner shall issue no such ruling changing the current distribution in favor of a county, city, or town unless the county, city, or town provides evidence to the Tax Commissioner that it had collected telecommunications and television cable funds (local consumer utility tax on landlines and wireless, E-911, business license tax in excess of 0.5 percent, cable franchise fee, video programming excise tax, local consumer utility tax on cable television) in fiscal year 2006 from local tax rates adopted on or before January 1, 2006.

D. For the purposes of the Comptroller making the required transfers, the Tax Commissioner shall make a written certification to the Comptroller no later than the twenty-fifth of each month certifying the communications sales and use tax revenues generated in the preceding month. Within three calendar days of receiving such certification, the Comptroller shall make the required transfers to the Communications Sales and Use Tax Trust Fund.

E. If errors are made in any distribution, or adjustments are otherwise necessary, the errors shall be corrected and adjustments made in the distribution for the next month or for subsequent months.

2. That the provisions of this act shall apply to distributions of communications sales and use tax revenues beginning with the month of August 2014 and for each month thereafter.

3. That the Department of Taxation shall develop and make publicly available guidelines implementing the provisions of this act. In developing such guidelines, the Department shall not be subject to the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§2.2-4000 et seq. of the Code of Virginia).