SENATE BILL No. 950

 

 

February 4, 2004, Introduced by Senators VAN WOERKOM, KUIPERS, JELINEK and McMANUS and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1933 PA 167, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "General sales tax act,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 4a (MCL 205.54a), as amended by 1999 PA 116.            

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 4a.  (1)  A  Subject to subsection (2), a person                       

                                                                                

2   subject to tax under this act may exclude from the amount of the            

                                                                                

3   gross proceeds used for the computation of the tax, a sale of               

                                                                                

4   tangible personal property:  , subject to subsection (2):                   

                                                                                

5       (a) Not for resale to a nonprofit school, nonprofit hospital,               

                                                                                

6   or nonprofit home for the care and maintenance of children or               

                                                                                

7   aged persons operated by an entity of government, a regularly               

                                                                                

8   organized church, religious, or fraternal organization, a                   

                                                                                

9   veterans' organization, or a corporation incorporated under the             

                                                                                

10  laws of the state, if the income or benefit from the operation              

                                                                                

11  does not inure, in whole or in part, to an individual or private            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   shareholder, directly or indirectly, and if the activities of the           

                                                                                

2   entity or agency are carried on exclusively for the benefit of              

                                                                                

3   the public at large and are not limited to the advantage,                   

                                                                                

4   interests, and benefits of its members or any restricted group.             

                                                                                

5   At the time of the transfer of this tangible personal property,             

                                                                                

6   the transferee shall sign a statement, in a form approved by the            

                                                                                

7   department, stating that the property is to be used or consumed             

                                                                                

8   in connection with the operation of the institution or agency and           

                                                                                

9   that the institution or agency qualifies as an exempt entity                

                                                                                

10  under this subdivision.  The statement shall be accepted by all             

                                                                                

11  courts as prima facie evidence of the exemption and the statement           

                                                                                

12  shall provide that if the claim for tax exemption is disallowed             

                                                                                

13  the transferee will reimburse the transferor for the amount of              

                                                                                

14  tax involved.  A sale of tangible personal property to a parent             

                                                                                

15  cooperative preschool is exempt from taxation under this act.  As           

                                                                                

16  used in this subdivision, "parent cooperative preschool" means a            

                                                                                

17  nonprofit, nondiscriminatory educational institution, maintained            

                                                                                

18  as a community service and administered by parents of children              

                                                                                

19  currently enrolled in the preschool, that provides an educational           

                                                                                

20  and developmental program for children younger than compulsory              

                                                                                

21  school age, that provides an educational program for parents,               

                                                                                

22  including active participation with children in preschool                   

                                                                                

23  activities, that is directed by qualified preschool personnel,              

                                                                                

24  and that is licensed by the department of consumer and industry             

                                                                                

25  services pursuant to 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111 to 722.128.                   

                                                                                

26      (b) Not for resale to a regularly organized church or house                 

                                                                                

27  of religious worship, except the following:                                 


                                                                                

1                                                                                (i) Sales in activities that are mainly commercial                                  

                                                                                

2   enterprises.                                                                

                                                                                

3       (ii) Sales of vehicles licensed for use on public highways                   

                                                                                

4   other than a passenger van or bus with a manufacturer's rated               

                                                                                

5   seating capacity of 10 or more that is used primarily for the               

                                                                                

6   transportation of persons for religious purposes.                           

                                                                                

7       (c) To bona fide enrolled students, of food by a school or                  

                                                                                

8   other educational institution not operated for profit.                      

                                                                                

9       (d) That is a vessel designated for commercial use of                       

                                                                                

10  registered tonnage of 500 tons or more, if produced upon special            

                                                                                

11  order of the purchaser, and bunker and galley fuel, provisions,             

                                                                                

12  supplies, maintenance, and repairs for the exclusive use of the             

                                                                                

13  vessel engaged in interstate commerce.                                      

                                                                                

14      (e) To persons engaged in a business enterprise and using or                

                                                                                

15  consuming the tangible personal property in the tilling,                    

                                                                                

16  planting, caring for, or harvesting of the things of the soil; in           

                                                                                

17  the breeding, raising, or caring for livestock, poultry, or                 

                                                                                

18  horticultural products, including transfers of livestock,                   

                                                                                

19  poultry, or horticultural products for further growth; or in the            

                                                                                

20  direct gathering of fish, by net, line, or otherwise only by an             

                                                                                

21  owner-operator of the business enterprise, not including a                  

                                                                                

22  charter fishing business enterprise.  This exemption includes               

                                                                                

23  agricultural land tile, which means fired clay or perforated                

                                                                                

24  plastic tubing used as part of a subsurface drainage system for             

                                                                                

25  land, and subsurface irrigation pipe, if the land tile or                   

                                                                                

26  irrigation pipe is used in the production of agricultural                   

                                                                                

27  products as a business enterprise.  At the time of the transfer             


                                                                                

1   of this tangible personal property, the transferee shall sign a             

                                                                                

2   statement, in a form approved by the department, stating that the           

                                                                                

3   property is to be used or consumed in connection with the                   

                                                                                

4   production of horticultural or agricultural products as a                   

                                                                                

5   business enterprise, or in connection with fishing as an                    

                                                                                

6   owner-operator business enterprise.  The statement shall be                 

                                                                                

7   accepted by all courts as prima facie evidence of the exemption.            

                                                                                

8   This exemption includes a portable grain bin, which means a                 

                                                                                

9   structure that is used or is to be used to shelter grain and that           

                                                                                

10  is designed to be disassembled without significant damage to its            

                                                                                

11  component parts.  This exemption also includes grain drying                 

                                                                                

12  equipment and natural or propane gas used to fuel that equipment            

                                                                                

13  for agricultural purposes.  This exemption does not include                 

                                                                                

14  transfers of food, fuel, clothing, or any similar tangible                  

                                                                                

15  personal property for personal living or human consumption.  This           

                                                                                

16  exemption does not include tangible personal property permanently           

                                                                                

17  affixed and becoming a structural part of real estate.                      

                                                                                

18      (f) That is a copyrighted motion picture film or a newspaper                

                                                                                

19  or periodical admitted under federal postal laws and regulations            

                                                                                

20  effective September 1, 1985 as second-class mail matter or as a             

                                                                                

21  controlled circulation publication or qualified to accept legal             

                                                                                

22  notices for publication in this state, as defined by law, or any            

                                                                                

23  other newspaper or periodical of general circulation, established           

                                                                                

24  not less than 2 years, and published not less than once a week.             

                                                                                

25  Tangible personal property used or consumed in producing a                  

                                                                                

26  copyrighted motion picture film, a newspaper published more than            

                                                                                

27  14 times per year, or a periodical published more than 14 times             


                                                                                

1   per year, and not becoming a component part of that film,                   

                                                                                

2   newspaper, or periodical is subject to the tax.  After December             

                                                                                

3   31, 1993, tangible personal property used or consumed in                    

                                                                                

4   producing a newspaper published 14 times or less per year or a              

                                                                                

5   periodical published 14 times or less per year and that portion             

                                                                                

6   or percentage of tangible personal property used or consumed in             

                                                                                

7   producing an advertising supplement that becomes a component part           

                                                                                

8   of a newspaper or periodical is exempt from the tax under this              

                                                                                

9   subdivision.  A claim for a refund for taxes paid before January            

                                                                                

10  1, 1999, under this subdivision shall be made before June 30,               

                                                                                

11  1999.  For purposes of this subdivision, tangible personal                  

                                                                                

12  property that becomes a component part of a newspaper or                    

                                                                                

13  periodical and consequently not subject to tax includes an                  

                                                                                

14  advertising supplement inserted into and circulated with a                  

                                                                                

15  newspaper or periodical that is otherwise exempt from tax under             

                                                                                

16  this subdivision, if the advertising supplement is delivered                

                                                                                

17  directly to the newspaper or periodical by a person other than              

                                                                                

18  the advertiser, or the advertising supplement is printed by the             

                                                                                

19  newspaper or periodical.                                                    

                                                                                

20      (g) To persons licensed to operate commercial radio or                      

                                                                                

21  television stations if the property is used in the origination or           

                                                                                

22  integration of the various sources of program material for                  

                                                                                

23  commercial radio or television transmission.  This subdivision              

                                                                                

24  does not include a vehicle licensed and titled for use on public            

                                                                                

25  highways or property used in the transmission to or receiving               

                                                                                

26  from an artificial satellite.                                               

                                                                                

27      (h) That is a hearing aid, contact lenses if prescribed for a               


                                                                                

1   specific disease that precludes the use of eyeglasses, or any               

                                                                                

2   other apparatus, device, or equipment used to replace or                    

                                                                                

3   substitute for a part of the human body, or used to assist the              

                                                                                

4   disabled person to lead a reasonably normal life if the tangible            

                                                                                

5   personal property is purchased on a written prescription or order           

                                                                                

6   issued by a health professional as defined by section  21005 of             

                                                                                

7   the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.21005  4 of former             

                                                                                

8   1974 PA 264 or section 3501 of the insurance code of 1956, 1956             

                                                                                

9   PA 218, MCL 500.3501; a hearing aid battery; or eyeglasses                  

                                                                                

10  prescribed or dispensed to correct the person's vision by an                

                                                                                

11  ophthalmologist, optometrist, or optician.                                  

                                                                                

12      (i) That is a vehicle not for resale to a Michigan nonprofit                

                                                                                

13  corporation organized exclusively to provide a community with               

                                                                                

14  ambulance or fire department services.                                      

                                                                                

15      (j) To inmates in a penal or correctional institution                       

                                                                                

16  purchased with scrip issued and redeemed by the institution.                

                                                                                

17      (k) To or for the use of students enrolled in any part of a                 

                                                                                

18  kindergarten through twelfth grade program, of textbooks sold by            

                                                                                

19  a public or nonpublic school.                                               

                                                                                

20                                                                               (l) Installed as a component part of a water pollution                              

                                                                                

21  control facility for which a tax exemption certificate is issued            

                                                                                

22  pursuant to part 37 of the natural resources and environmental              

                                                                                

23  protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.3701 to 324.3708, or an air            

                                                                                

24  pollution control facility for which a tax exemption certificate            

                                                                                

25  is issued pursuant to part 59 of the natural resources and                  

                                                                                

26  environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.5901 to                  

                                                                                

27  324.5908.                                                                   


                                                                                

1       (m) To a purchaser of a new motor vehicle purchased before                  

                                                                                

2   January 1, 1993 if the purchaser qualifies for a special                    

                                                                                

3   registration under section 226(12) of the Michigan vehicle code,            

                                                                                

4   1949 PA 300, MCL 257.226, and the vehicle is purchased through a            

                                                                                

5   country determined by the department to be providing a like or              

                                                                                

6   complete exemption for the purchase of a new motor vehicle to be            

                                                                                

7   removed from that country.                                                  

                                                                                

8       (n) That is the following sold or leased to an industrial                   

                                                                                

9   laundry after December 31, 1997:                                            

                                                                                

10                                                                               (i) Textiles and disposable products including, but not                             

                                                                                

11  limited to, soap, paper, chemicals, tissues, deodorizers and                

                                                                                

12  dispensers, and all related items such as packaging, supplies,              

                                                                                

13  hangers, name tags, and identification tags.                                

                                                                                

14      (ii) Equipment, whether owned or leased, used to repair and                  

                                                                                

15  dispense textiles including, but not limited to, roll towel                 

                                                                                

16  cabinets, slings, hardware, lockers, mop handles and frames, and            

                                                                                

17  carts.                                                                      

                                                                                

18      (iii) Machinery, equipment, parts, lubricants, and repair                    

                                                                                

19  services used to clean, process, and package textiles and related           

                                                                                

20  items, whether owned or leased.                                             

                                                                                

21      (iv) Utilities such as electric, gas, water, or oil.                         

                                                                                

22      (v) Production washroom equipment and mending and packaging                 

                                                                                

23  supplies and equipment.                                                     

                                                                                

24      (vi) Material handling equipment including, but not limited                  

                                                                                

25  to, conveyors, racks, and elevators and related control                     

                                                                                

26  equipment.                                                                  

                                                                                

27      (vii) Wastewater pretreatment equipment and supplies and                     


                                                                                

1   related maintenance and repair services.                                    

                                                                                

2       (o) To a person holding a direct payment permit under                       

                                                                                

3   section 8 of the use tax act, 1937 PA 94, MCL 205.98.                       

                                                                                

4       (p) That is a returnable pallet or container leased to a                    

                                                                                

5   farmer or other person involved in agricultural production or               

                                                                                

6   processing, including, but not limited to, a packer, shipper,               

                                                                                

7   manufacturer, or retailer.                                                  

                                                                                

8       (2) The tangible personal property under subsection (1) is                  

                                                                                

9   exempt only to the extent that that property is used for the                

                                                                                

10  exempt purpose if one is stated in subsection (1).  The exemption           

                                                                                

11  is limited to the percentage of exempt use to total use                     

                                                                                

12  determined by a reasonable formula or method approved by the                

                                                                                

13  department.