| |
| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1954 | PRINTER'S NO. 3346 |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| HOUSE BILL |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY MOUL AND TALLMAN, MAY 24, 2011 |
| |
| |
| AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, APRIL 3, 2012 |
| |
| |
| |
| AN ACT |
| |
1 | Amending the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), entitled, |
2 | as amended, "An act relating to counties of the first, third, |
3 | fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth classes; amending, |
4 | revising, consolidating and changing the laws relating |
5 | thereto; relating to imposition of excise taxes by counties, |
6 | including authorizing imposition of an excise tax on the |
7 | rental of motor vehicles by counties of the first class; and |
8 | providing for regional renaissance initiatives," in fiscal |
9 | affairs, further providing for authorization of three five | <-- |
10 | per centum hotel tax in certain counties of the sixth fifth | <-- |
11 | class. |
12 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
13 | hereby enacts as follows: |
14 | Section 1. Section 1770.7 of the act of August 9, 1955 |
15 | (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code, amended or added |
16 | December 22, 2000 (P.L.1019, No.142) and July 5, 2005 (P.L.38, |
17 | No.12), is amended to read: |
18 | Section 1770.7. Authorization of [Three] Five Per Centum |
19 | Hotel Tax.--(a) The county commissioners of any county of the |
20 | [sixth] fifth class having a population under the [1990] 2010 | <-- |
21 | Federal Decennial Census in excess of [78,250] 101,000 | <-- |
22 | residents, but less than [79,000] 102,000 residents, and any | <-- |
|
1 | county of the fifth class which as a result of the 1990 Federal |
2 | Decennial Census was such a county of the sixth class and as a |
3 | result of the 2010 Federal Decennial Census is reclassified as a |
4 | county of the fifth class, may impose a hotel tax not to exceed |
5 | [three] five per centum of the consideration received by each |
6 | operator of a hotel within the county from each transaction of |
7 | renting a room or rooms to transients. The tax shall be |
8 | collected by the operator from the patron of the room or rooms |
9 | and paid over to the county as herein provided. |
10 | (b) The provisions of subsection (b.1) notwithstanding, |
11 | county commissioners may by ordinance impose requirements for |
12 | keeping of records, the filing of tax returns and the time and |
13 | manner of collection and payment of tax. The county |
14 | commissioners may also impose by ordinance penalties and |
15 | interest for failure to comply with recordkeeping, filing, |
16 | collection and payment requirements. |
17 | (b.1) Each operator of a hotel within a county that imposes |
18 | the tax authorized under this section shall submit to a review | <-- |
19 | an audit of hotel tax revenue. The review audit shall be | <-- |
20 | conducted by the county commissioners and shall consist, at a |
21 | minimum, of determining the total amount of consideration |
22 | received by the operator from transactions of renting a room or |
23 | rooms to transients during the period of review being audited | <-- |
24 | and the total amount of hotel tax revenue collected. The county |
25 | commissioners or their duly authorized agents shall conduct the | <-- |
26 | review of each operator at least twice every twelve months at | <-- |
27 | least one audit annually and shall bear the costs of the review | <-- |
28 | audit. | <-- |
29 | (c) The [county commissioners of each county shall designate |
30 | the entity or agency responsible to collect and to enforce the |
|
1 | collection of the tax on their behalf. All revenues received |
2 | from the tax shall be deposited into a special fund which is to |
3 | be established by the county's legally sanctioned and duly |
4 | designated Tourist Promotion Agency (TPA). The] treasurer of |
5 | each county that imposes the tax authorized under this section |
6 | shall collect the tax and deposit the revenues received from the |
7 | tax in a special fund established for that purpose. Subject to |
8 | the deduction of the administrative fee authorized by subsection |
9 | (e.2), the disposition of the revenues from the TPA hotel tax |
10 | fund shall be as follows: [seventy-five per centum of all |
11 | revenues received per annum shall be used by the TPA for the |
12 | promotion, advertising and marketing of tourism and special |
13 | events and for administrative costs. Twenty-five per centum of |
14 | all revenues received per annum shall be used by the county |
15 | commissioners for the purpose of economic development, historic |
16 | preservation and grants to local municipalities having police |
17 | departments. Any fees for administering the collection and |
18 | distribution of the tax shall be negotiated by the TPA and the |
19 | county commissioners.] |
20 | (1) Seventy-five per centum of all revenues received per |
21 | annum shall be used by the county's recognized TPA for the |
22 | promotion, advertising and marketing of tourism and special |
23 | events and for administrative costs. |
24 | (2) Twenty-five per centum of all revenues received per |
25 | annum shall be distributed as follows: |
26 | (i) Fifty per centum shall be used by the county |
27 | commissioners for the purposes of economic development and |
28 | historic preservation. |
29 | (ii) Fifty per centum shall be used by the county |
30 | commissioners for grants to municipalities that: |
|
1 | (A) have a municipal police department employing at least |
2 | two full-time police officers assigned to law enforcement duties |
3 | who work a minimum of two hundred days per year; or |
4 | (B) are a member of a regional police department that |
5 | provides full-time police services to the municipality pursuant |
6 | to an agreement or contract. |
7 | (iii) Municipalities receiving grants under subclause (ii) | <-- |
8 | must meet or have met the eligibility requirements under |
9 | subclause (ii)(A) or (B) for a minimum of two years prior to |
10 | receiving the grant. |
11 | [(d) The treasurer of each county electing to impose the tax |
12 | authorized under this section shall collect the tax and deposit |
13 | the revenues received from the tax in a special fund established |
14 | for that purpose.] |
15 | (d.1) Grants under subsection (c)(2)(ii) shall be |
16 | distributed to municipalities in proportion to the number of |
17 | hotel rooms within the municipality as a percentage of the total |
18 | number of hotel rooms in municipalities with police departments |
19 | under subsection (c)(2)(ii) as compiled by the recognized TPA |
20 | and certified by the county commissioners. Grants shall be used |
21 | for police and law enforcement purposes. Any portion of a grant |
22 | not used for police and law enforcement purposes shall be |
23 | returned to the county for the purposes of subsection (c)(2)(i). |
24 | (e) The tax year for a tax imposed under this section shall |
25 | run concurrently with the calendar year. |
26 | (e.1) An audited report on the income and expenditures |
27 | incurred by a tourist promotion agency receiving any revenues |
28 | from the tax authorized under this section shall be submitted |
29 | annually by the tourist promotion agency to the county |
30 | commissioners. |
|
1 | (e.2) The county may deduct and retain an administrative fee |
2 | from the taxes collected under this section. The administrative |
3 | fee established by the county may not exceed in any tax year the |
4 | lesser of: |
5 | (1) four and one-half per centum of all taxes collected |
6 | under this section; or |
7 | (2) ninety-five thousand dollars ($95,000), which amount |
8 | shall be adjusted biannually, beginning two years after the |
9 | effective date of this subsection, by the percentage growth in |
10 | the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. |
11 | (e.3) Revenue collected from the fee imposed under |
12 | subsection (e.2) shall be used for the following purposes: |
13 | (1) Defraying the costs associated with the collection and |
14 | administration of the tax. |
15 | (2) Defraying the costs of the review required under |
16 | subsection (b.1). |
17 | (f) As used in this section, the following words and phrases |
18 | shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection: |
19 | "Consideration." Receipts, fees, charges, rentals, leases, |
20 | cash, credits, property of any kind or nature, or other payment |
21 | received by operators in exchange for or in consideration of the |
22 | use or occupancy by a transient of a room or rooms in a hotel |
23 | for any temporary period. |
24 | "Hotel." A hotel, motel, inn, guest house or other structure |
25 | which holds itself out by any means, including advertising, |
26 | license, registration with an innkeepers' group, convention |
27 | listing association, travel publication or similar association |
28 | or with a government agency, as being available to provide |
29 | overnight lodging or use of facility space for consideration to |
30 | persons seeking temporary accommodation; any place which |
|
1 | advertises to the public at large or any segment thereof that it |
2 | will provide beds, sanitary facilities or other space for a |
3 | temporary period to members of the public at large; or any place |
4 | recognized as a hostelry. The term does not include any portion |
5 | of a facility that is devoted to persons who have an established |
6 | permanent residence or a college or university student residence |
7 | hall. |
8 | "Occupancy." The use or possession or the right to the use |
9 | or possession by any person other than a permanent resident of |
10 | any room in a hotel for any purpose or the right to the use or |
11 | possession of the furnishings or to the services accompanying |
12 | the use and possession of the room. |
13 | "Operator." An individual, partnership, nonprofit or profit- |
14 | making association or corporation or other person or group of |
15 | persons who maintain, operate, manage, own, have custody of or |
16 | otherwise possess the right to rent or lease overnight |
17 | accommodations in a hotel to the public for consideration. |
18 | "Patron." A person who pays the consideration for the |
19 | occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel. |
20 | "Permanent resident." A person who has occupied or has the |
21 | right to occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel as a patron or |
22 | otherwise for a period exceeding thirty consecutive days. |
23 | "Room." A space in a hotel set aside for use and occupancy |
24 | by patrons, or otherwise, for consideration, having at least one |
25 | bed or other sleeping accommodation in a room or group of rooms. |
26 | "Tourist Promotion Agency (TPA)." An organization, agency or |
27 | corporation designated to be such by the board of commissioners |
28 | as of January 1, 2000, of the county in which the tax is |
29 | imposed. The TPA shall be duly established, designated and |
30 | recognized as the county's TPA in accordance with and pursuant |
|
1 | to the act of [April 28, 1961 (P.L.111, No.50), known as the |
2 | "Tourist Promotion Law."] July 4, 2008 (P.L.621, No.50), known |
3 | as the "Tourism Promotion Act." |
4 | "Transaction." The activity involving the obtaining by a |
5 | transient or patron of the use or occupancy of a hotel room from |
6 | which consideration is payable to the operator under an express |
7 | or an implied contract. |
8 | "Transient." An individual who obtains accommodation in a |
9 | hotel by means of registering at the facility for the temporary |
10 | occupancy of a room for the personal use of the individual by |
11 | paying a fee to the operator. |
12 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days | <-- |
13 | immediately. | <-- |
|