PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 660                       PRINTER'S NO. 1743

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 609 Session of 1979


        INTRODUCED BY MR. DININNI, MARCH 7, 1979

        AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, HOUSE OF
           REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 14, 1979

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of January 14, 1952 (1951 P.L.1965, No.550),
     2     entitled, as amended, "An act imposing a permanent and a
     3     temporary State tax on fuels used within the Commonwealth in
     4     internal combustion engines for the generation of power to
     5     propel motor vehicles using the public highways; imposing a
     6     permanent tax on the fuels used in aircraft or aircraft
     7     engines; providing for the collection and lien of the tax and
     8     the distribution and use of the proceeds thereof; requiring
     9     dealer-users to secure licenses and to file bonds as a
    10     guarantee of payment of taxes, penalties, interest, fines,
    11     uncollectible check fees and Attorney General's fees, to file
    12     reports and to compile and retain certain records; requiring
    13     registration of carriers for hire; imposing duties on such
    14     persons; requiring persons selling or delivering fuels to
    15     licensed dealer-users to furnish information; imposing
    16     certain costs on counties; conferring powers and imposing
    17     duties on State officers and departments; providing for
    18     refunds of taxes, penalties and interest illegally or
    19     erroneously collected from licensees; and providing
    20     penalties," further providing for the imposition and rate of
    21     the tax.

    22     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    23  hereby enacts as follows:
    24     Section 1.  Section 4, act of January 14, 1952 (1951
    25  P.L.1965, No.550), known as the "Fuel Use Tax Act," amended
    26  December 19, 1975 (P.L.558, No.157), is amended to read:
    27     Section 4.  Imposition of Tax Exemptions.--A permanent excise


     1  tax composed of:
     2     (1)  A tax at the rate of eight cents (8¢) a gallon or
     3  fractional part thereof; and
     4     (2)  A tax at the rate of six per centum (6%) of the           <--
     5  wholesale price
     6     (2)  A TAX AT A RATE EQUIVALENT TO THAT IMPOSED PURSUANT TO    <--
     7  SECTION 4(B) OF THE ACT OF MAY 21, 1931 (P.L.149, NO.105), KNOWN
     8  AS "THE LIQUID FUELS TAX ACT,"
     9  is hereby imposed on all dealer-users upon the use of fuel
    10  within this Commonwealth, except the use of fuel in aircraft or
    11  aircraft engines, to be computed in the manner hereinafter set
    12  forth. The tax herein imposed shall not apply on fuels not
    13  within the taxing power of this Commonwealth under the Commerce
    14  Clause of the Constitution of the United States. The tax herein
    15  imposed and assessed shall be paid to the Commonwealth but once
    16  in respect to any fuels used within the Commonwealth. No tax is
    17  hereby imposed upon (1) any fuel that is used by or sold and
    18  delivered to the United States government, when such sales and
    19  deliveries are supported by documentary evidence satisfactory to
    20  the department, or (2) upon any fuel not in excess of fifty (50)
    21  gallons brought into this Commonwealth in the fuel supply tanks
    22  or other fueling receptacles or devices of a motor vehicle, or
    23  (3) upon any fuel used by or sold or delivered for use in farm
    24  machinery or equipment, engaged in the production or harvesting
    25  of farm or agricultural products involving the use of the public
    26  highways within a ten (10) mile radius of the domicile of the
    27  owner of the machinery or equipment, when such sales and
    28  deliveries are supported by documentary evidence satisfactory to
    29  the department, or (4) upon any fuel used by or sold or
    30  delivered to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its political
    19790H0609B1743                  - 2 -

     1  subdivisions, any volunteer fire company, any volunteer
     2  ambulance service, any volunteer rescue squad, any second class
     3  county port authority and any nonpublic schools not operated for
     4  profit, when such sales and deliveries are supported by
     5  documentary evidence satisfactory to the department.
     6     In lieu of the foregoing taxes, a permanent excise tax at the
     7  rate of one and one-half cents a gallon, or fractional part
     8  thereof, is hereby imposed on all dealer-users upon the use of
     9  fuel in propeller-driven piston engine aircraft or aircraft
    10  engines, and except as hereinafter provided, one and one-half
    11  cents a gallon or fractional part thereof of fuel used in
    12  turbine propeller jet, turbo-jet, or jet driven aircraft or
    13  aircraft engines, to be computed in the manner hereinafter set
    14  forth. Beginning January 1, 1960, and thereafter, a State tax of
    15  one cent a gallon, or fractional part thereof, is hereby imposed
    16  and assessed upon all liquid fuels used or sold and delivered by
    17  distributors within this Commonwealth for use as fuel in turbine
    18  propeller jet, turbo-jet, or jet driven aircraft and aircraft
    19  engines. The tax herein imposed shall not apply on fuels not
    20  within the taxing power of this Commonwealth under The Commerce
    21  Clause of the Constitution of the United States. The tax herein
    22  imposed and assessed shall be paid to the Commonwealth but once
    23  in respect to any fuels. No tax is hereby imposed upon (1) any
    24  fuel that is used by or sold and delivered to the United States
    25  government when such sales and deliveries are supported by
    26  documentary evidence satisfactory to the department, or (2) upon
    27  any fuel brought into this Commonwealth in the fuel supply tanks
    28  or other fueling receptacles or devices of an aircraft or
    29  aircraft engine, or (3) upon any fuel used or sold or delivered
    30  to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its political subdivisions,
    19790H0609B1743                  - 3 -

     1  any volunteer fire company, any volunteer ambulance service, any
     2  volunteer rescue squad, any second class county port authority
     3  and nonpublic schools not operated for profit, for official use
     4  when such sales and deliveries are supported by documentary
     5  evidence satisfactory to the department.
     6     For the purposes of this act, the term "wholesale price"       <--
     7  shall not include any other Federal or State taxes imposed
     8  directly on the sale or use of such fuels.
     9     The Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission is authorized to make
    10  allocations of taxes collected under this act to airports in
    11  proportion to the average of their allocations received from the
    12  Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission during the period for which
    13  they have received such allocations not to exceed five (5) years
    14  or, in the case of airports having no such allocation
    15  experience, in equal proportion with other airports based upon
    16  comparative collections under this tax.
    17     Section 2.  Nothing contained in this act shall be construed
    18  to repeal or effect the provisions of the act of July 12, 1974
    19  (P.L.458, No.161), referred to as the Liquid Fuels Additional
    20  Tax Act.
    21     Section 3.  This act shall take effect on the first day of     <--
    22  the next month beginning 25 days or more after the date of final
    23  enactment of this act IMMEDIATELY.                                <--





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