HOUSE BILL No. 5191

 

September 7, 2007, Introduced by Rep. Tobocman and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1933 PA 167, entitled

 

"General sales tax act,"

 

by amending section 1 (MCL 205.51), as amended by 2004 PA 173, and

 

by adding section 9a; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. (1) As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Person" means an individual, firm, partnership, limited

 

partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association,

 

social club, fraternal organization, municipal or private

 

corporation whether organized for profit or not, company, estate,

 

trust, receiver, trustee, syndicate, the United States, this state,

 

county, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and

 

includes the plural as well as the singular number, unless the

 


intention to give a more limited meaning is disclosed by the

 

context.

 

     (b) "Sale at retail" or "retail sale" means a sale, lease, or

 

rental of tangible personal property for any purpose other than for

 

resale, sublease, or subrent.

 

     (c) "Gross proceeds" means sales price.

 

     (d) "Sales price" means the total amount of consideration,

 

including cash, credit, property, and services, for which tangible

 

personal property or services are sold, leased, or rented, valued

 

in money, whether received in money or otherwise, and applies to

 

the measure subject to sales tax. Sales price includes the

 

following subparagraphs (i) through (vi) and excludes subparagraphs

 

(vii) through (viii):

 

     (i) Seller's cost of the property sold.

 

     (ii) Cost of materials used, labor or service cost, interest,

 

losses, costs of transportation to the seller, taxes imposed on the

 

seller other than taxes imposed by this act, and any other expense

 

of the seller.

 

     (iii) Charges by the seller for any services necessary to

 

complete the sale, other than the following:

 

     (A) An amount received or billed by the taxpayer for

 

remittance to the employee as a gratuity or tip, if the gratuity or

 

tip is separately identified and itemized on the guest check or

 

billed to the customer.

 

     (B) Labor or service charges involved in maintenance and

 

repair work on tangible personal property of others if separately

 

itemized.

 


     (iv) Delivery charges incurred or to be incurred before the

 

completion of the transfer of ownership of tangible personal

 

property from the seller to the purchaser.

 

     (v) Installation charges incurred or to be incurred before the

 

completion of the transfer of ownership of tangible personal

 

property from the seller to the purchaser.

 

     (vi) Credit for any trade-in.

 

     (vii) Interest, financing, or carrying charges from credit

 

extended on the sale of personal property or services, if the

 

amount is separately stated on the invoice, bill of sale, or

 

similar document given to the purchaser.

 

     (viii) Any taxes legally imposed directly on the consumer that

 

are separately stated on the invoice, bill of sale, or similar

 

document given to the purchaser.

 

     (e) "Business" includes an activity engaged in by a person or

 

caused to be engaged in by that person with the object of gain,

 

benefit, or advantage, either direct or indirect.

 

     (f) "Tax year" or "taxable year" means the fiscal year of the

 

this state or the taxpayer's fiscal year if permission is obtained

 

by the taxpayer from the department to use the taxpayer's fiscal

 

year as the tax period instead.

 

     (g) "Department" means the department of treasury.

 

     (h) "Taxpayer" means a person subject to a tax under this act.

 

     (i) "Tax" includes a tax, interest, or penalty levied under

 

this act.

 

     (j) "Textiles" means goods that are made of or incorporate

 

woven or nonwoven fabric, including, but not limited to, clothing,

 


shoes, hats, gloves, handkerchiefs, curtains, towels, sheets,

 

pillows, pillow cases, tablecloths, napkins, aprons, linens, floor

 

mops, floor mats, and thread. Textiles also include materials used

 

to repair or construct textiles, or other goods used in the rental,

 

sale, or cleaning of textiles.

 

     (2) If the department determines that it is necessary for the

 

efficient administration of this act to regard an unlicensed

 

person, including a salesperson, representative, peddler, or

 

canvasser as the agent of the dealer, distributor, supervisor, or

 

employer under whom the unlicensed person operates or from whom the

 

unlicensed person obtains the tangible personal property sold by

 

the unlicensed person, irrespective of whether the unlicensed

 

person is making sales on the unlicensed person's own behalf or on

 

behalf of the dealer, distributor, supervisor, or employer, the

 

department may so regard the unlicensed person and may regard the

 

dealer, distributor, supervisor, or employer as making sales at

 

retail at the retail price for the purposes of this act.

 

     Sec. 9a. (1) Any other provision of this act notwithstanding,

 

the department may establish a pilot program in which both of the

 

following occur:

 

     (a) A person selected under subsection (2) shall

 

electronically submit a return for each sale at retail to the

 

department or the department's designee. The return shall show the

 

entire amount of the sale at retail, the gross proceeds from that

 

sale at retail, the allowable deductions, if any, and the amount of

 

tax for which the person is liable on that sale at retail. The

 

return shall include the remittance for the amount of tax for which

 


the person is liable on that sale at retail.

 

     (b) The department or the department's designee shall issue an

 

electronically generated receipt to each customer of a taxpayer

 

liable for submitting a return under subdivision (a). The receipt

 

shall indicate that the taxpayer has electronically reported to the

 

department or the department's designee the entire amount of the

 

sale at retail, the gross proceeds from that sale at retail, the

 

allowable deductions, if any, the amount of tax for which he or she

 

is liable on that sale at retail, and the amount of tax remitted

 

for that sale at retail.

 

     (2) The department may randomly select interested taxpayers to

 

participate in the pilot program under this section.

 

     Enacting section 1. Sections 4y and 4z of the general sales

 

tax act, 1933 PA 167, MCL 205.54y and 205.54z, are repealed.