Ala. Code § 28-3-190 (1975) Levy of Tax; Collection; Disposition of Proceeds By Localities; Enforcement and Administration; Penalties; Exclusive Nature of Tax

• Library: Alabama Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current with legislation from the 2023 Regular and Special Sessions.
• Year: 2023
• Citation: Ala. Code § 28-3-190 (1975)

(a) Levy. In addition to the excise tax levied by Article 5A of Chapter 3 of this title and the licenses provided for by Chapter 3A of this title and by Section 28-3-194, and any acts amendatory thereof, supplementary thereto or substituted therefor, and municipal and county licenses, there is hereby levied a privilege or excise tax on every person licensed under the provisions of Chapter 3A who sells, stores, or receives for the purpose of distribution, to any person, firm, corporation, club, or association within the State of Alabama any beer. The tax levied hereby shall be measured by and graduated in accordance with the volume of sales by such person of beer, and shall be an amount equal to one and six hundred twenty-five thousands cents (1.625 cents) for each four fluid ounces or fractional part thereof.

(b) Collection. The tax levied by subsection (a) of this section shall be added to the sales price of all beer sold, and shall be collected from the purchasers. It shall be unlawful for any person who is required to pay the tax in the first instance to fail or refuse to add to the sales price and collect from the purchaser the required amount of tax, it being the intent and purpose of this provision that the tax levied is in fact a tax on the consumer, with the person, firm, corporation, club or association who pays the tax in the first instance acting merely as an agent of the county or municipality for the collection and payment of the tax.

The tax levied by subsection (a) of this section shall be collected by a return in the form as prescribed or approved by the collection authority of the county or municipality, which shall be filed by the wholesaler with the wet county and wet municipality where sold postmarked not later than the 15th day of the month following the month during which the beer is sold, which return shall be accompanied by the remittance of the tax due; provided, where the taxes are timely paid, the tax due shall be discounted by two and one-half percent, which discount shall, subject to the provisions of Section 28-3-195, be retained by the wholesaler for collecting the tax.

The county and municipality each shall have the authority to inspect, examine and audit the books and records of any person, firm, corporation, club, or association who sells, stores, or receives for the purpose of distribution, any beer, to determine the accuracy of any return required to be filed with it.

The county shall have the authority to require any beer wholesaler not having a place of business within that county, who makes any sale, distribution or delivery of beer within the county to first obtain a permit from the beer tax collection authority of the county collecting the tax levied by this article.

The county and municipality shall have the authority to require any wholesale beer licensee, who sells, distributes or delivers beer within the county, to file with the tax collection authority a bond in the penal sum not to exceed twice the amount of the average monthly tax due by the licensee to such authority estimated by such tax collection authority, conditioned upon the payment of the tax on beer levied by this article to become due by the licensee.

(c) Disposition of proceeds. The proceeds of the tax levied by subsection (a) of this section shall be paid and distributed as follows:

(1) Except as hereinafter provided in subdivision (2) or (3) of this subsection (c), one and six hundred twenty-five thousandths cents (1.625 cents) per four fluid ounces or fractional part thereof shall be paid by wholesale licensees on their sales either into the treasury of the wet municipality in which the beer was sold or delivered by a wholesaler to a retailer within its corporate limits, or, where sold outside the corporate limits of any municipality, into the treasury of the wet county in which the beer was sold or delivered by the wholesaler to a retailer.

(2) Provided, however, such tax shall otherwise be paid and disposed of in the following counties, as hereinafter set forth:

a. Autauga County: The entire amount of the tax collected on sales outside of the area comprised by the corporate limits and police jurisdictions of the Cities of Prattville and Autaugaville shall be paid to the Autauga County Commission. Outside the corporate limits but within the police jurisdictions of the municipalities, two-thirds of the amount of the tax shall be paid to the county commission and one-third shall be paid to the respective municipality. Within the actual corporate limits of Autaugaville and Prattville, two-thirds of the tax shall be paid to the governing body of the respective municipality and one-third shall be paid to the county commission.

b. Baldwin County: The taxes shall be paid as follows:

1. All the taxes collected on sales within the corporate limits of any municipality shall be paid to the municipality.

2. One-half the taxes collected on sales within the police jurisdiction of any municipality shall be paid to the municipality and the remaining one-half shall be paid to the county.

3. All of the taxes on sales outside the corporate limits of any municipality and outside of any police jurisdiction shall be paid to the local board of education with the funds to be used for capital outlay, maintenance of existing buildings and instructional materials.

c. Calhoun County: The entire amount of the tax shall be collected by the Calhoun County Probate Judge and paid to the Calhoun County Commission. All such taxes, after first reimbursing the county general fund for expenses incurred in administration and enforcement of the tax, shall be distributed as follows:

1. Six-ninths of the total amount of the tax shall be turned over by it to the custodian of county school funds. The county board of education shall immediately divide the funds with the city boards of education within the county on the same basis as the total calculated costs of the Foundation Program for the local boards of education within the county.

2. One-ninth of the total amount of the tax or $150,000.00, whichever is greater, shall be paid to the Calhoun County Economic Development Council.

3. The balance of the total amount of the tax shall be distributed to certain municipalities as follows:

<TABLE border="1"> <TR><TD> <para>Anniston</para></TD><TD> <para>28 1/2 %</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Oxford</para></TD><TD> <para>21 1/2 %</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Jacksonsville</para></TD><TD> <para>28%</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Piedmont</para></TD><TD> <para>17%</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Hobson City</para></TD><TD> <para>2%</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Ohatchee</para></TD><TD> <para>2%</para></TD> </TR> <TR><TD> <para>Weaver</para></TD><TD> <para>1%</para></TD> </TR> </TABLE>

4. All reference in the general bill to county or municipalities shall apply to the probate judge or his designated agent in Calhoun County.

d. Chambers County: The entire amount of the tax shall be paid to the Chambers County Commission or like governing body of Chambers County, which, after the payment of all cost of collection and enforcement, shall distribute the net proceeds as follows:

1. Fifty percent be prorated among the local boards of education for educational purposes on the basis of the previous year's net enrollment of pupils;

2. Fifty percent be prorated among the Chambers County Commission General Fund and the municipalities within the county, with each municipality receiving the amount that its population bears to the entire population of the county, and the general fund of the county receiving the amount that the population of the county outside the corporate limits of the municipalities bears to the entire population of the county according to the latest federal census. In the event of the incorporation of any new municipalities, the proration shall be based on the official population of the municipality at the time of incorporation. Any annexation shall accrue to the city annexing according to the population annexed.

3. Fifteen percent of the amount prorated to the county general fund in subparagraph 2 of this paragraph shall be prorated among the fire and rescue squads located within the county.

e. Choctaw County: The entire amount of tax shall be paid to the probate judge and, after reimbursement of two and one-half percent for services distributed as follows:

1. One-ninth to the county general fund from which $7,000.00 shall be credited to:

(i) One-third to the Choctaw County Rescue Squad.

(ii) One-third to the Choctaw County Historical Society.