MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Tourism; Ways and Means
By: Representative Peranich, Guice
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 41-49-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "HOTEL" IN ORDER TO REFLECT CHANGES IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY WITHIN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO AMEND SECTION 27-65-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT ANY "HOTEL" AS DEFINED IN SECTION 41-49-3 COMPLIES WITH THE STATE'S SALES TAX REQUIREMENTS; TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF THE TERM "HOTEL" OR "MOTEL" FOR THE PURPOSES OF ANY TAX LEVIED AND COLLECTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF A LOCAL AND PRIVATE LAW OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THAT IS LEVIED OR IMPOSED ON THE GROSS PROCEEDS OR GROSS INCOME FROM ROOM RENTALS OF HOTELS OR MOTELS AND IS COLLECTED AND PAID TO THE STATE TAX COMMISSION IN THE SAME OR SIMILAR MANNER THAT STATE SALES TAXES ARE COLLECTED AND PAID; TO PROVIDE THAT IF THE DEFINITION OF HOTEL OR MOTEL PROVIDED IN THE LOCAL AND PRIVATE LAW AUTHORIZING THE TAX DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ENTITIES DESCRIBED IN THIS ACT, THEN THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT SHALL NOT APPLY UNLESS THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OR MUNICIPAL GOVERNING AUTHORITIES AUTHORIZED TO LEVY THE TAX UNDER THE LOCAL AND PRIVATE LAW ADOPTS A RESOLUTION DECLARING THEIR INTENTION TO INCLUDE SUCH ENTITIES FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE TAX; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 41-49-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
41-49-3. The term "hotel" shall mean and include any entity or individual engaged in the business of furnishing or providing one or more rooms intended or designed for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes that at any one time will accommodate transient guests and that are known to the trade as such and includes every building or other structure kept, used, maintained or advertised as, or held out to the public to be, a place where sleeping accommodations are supplied for pay or other consideration to transient guests regardless of the number of rooms, units, suites or cabins available, excluding nursing homes or institutions for the aged or infirm as defined in Section 43-11-1 * * *.
SECTION 2. Section 27-65-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-65-23. Upon every person engaging or continuing in any of the following businesses or activities there is hereby levied, assessed and shall be collected a tax equal to seven percent (7%) of the gross income of the business, except as otherwise provided:
Air conditioning installation or repairs;
Automobile, motorcycle, boat or any other vehicle repairing or servicing;
Billiards, pool or domino parlors;
Bowling or tenpin alleys;
Burglar and fire alarm systems or services;
Car washing--automatic, self-service, or manual;
Computer software sales and services;
Cotton compresses or cotton warehouses;
Custom creosoting or treating, custom planing, custom sawing;
Custom meat processing;
Electricians, electrical work, wiring, all repairs or installation of electrical equipment;
Elevator or escalator installing, repairing or servicing;
Film developing or photo finishing;
Foundries, machine or general repairing;
Furniture repairing or upholstering;
Grading, excavating, ditching, dredging or landscaping;
Hotels (as defined in Section 41-49-3), motels, tourist courts or camps, trailer parks;
Insulating services or repairs;
Jewelry or watch repairing;
Laundering, cleaning, pressing or dyeing;
Marina services;
Mattress renovating;
Office and business machine repairing;
Parking garages and lots;
Plumbing or pipe fitting;
Public storage warehouses (There shall be no tax levied on gross income of a public storage warehouse derived from the temporary storage of tangible personal property in this state pending shipping or mailing of the property to another state);
Refrigerating equipment repairs;
Radio or television installing, repairing, or servicing;
Renting or leasing personal property used within this state;
Services performed in connection with geophysical surveying, exploring, developing, drilling, producing, distributing, or testing of oil, gas, water and other mineral resources;
Shoe repairing;
Storage lockers;
Telephone answering or paging services;
Termite or pest control services;
Tin and sheet metal shops;
TV cable systems, subscription TV services, and other similar activities;
Vulcanizing, repairing or recapping of tires or tubes;
Welding; and
Woodworking or wood turning shops.
Income from services taxed herein performed for electric power associations in the ordinary and necessary operation of their generating or distribution systems shall be taxed at the rate of one percent (1%).
Income from services taxed herein performed on materials for use in track or track structures to a railroad whose rates are fixed by the Interstate Commerce Commission or the Mississippi Public Service Commission shall be taxed at the rate of three percent (3%).
Income from renting or leasing tangible personal property used within this state shall be taxed at the same rates as sales of the same property.
Persons doing business in this state who rent transportation equipment with a situs within or without the state to common, contract or private commercial carriers are taxed on that part of the income derived from use within this state. If specific accounting is impracticable, a formula may be used with approval of the commissioner.
A lessor may deduct from the tax computed on the rental income from tangible personal property a credit for sales or use tax paid to this state at the time of purchase of the specific personal property being leased or rented until such credit has been exhausted.
Charges for custom processing and repairing services may be excluded from gross taxable income when the property on which the service was performed is delivered to the customer in another state either by common carrier or in the seller's equipment.
When a taxpayer performs unitary services covered by this section, which are performed both in intrastate and interstate commerce, the commissioner is hereby invested with authority to formulate in each particular case and to fix for such taxpayer in each instance formulae of apportionment which will apportion to this state, for taxation, that portion of the services which are performed within the State of Mississippi.
SECTION 3. (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, for any tax levied and collected under the authority of a local and private law of the State of Mississippi ("local and private law"), that is levied or imposed on the gross proceeds or gross income from room rentals of hotels or motels and is collected and paid to the State Tax Commission in the same or similar manner that state sales taxes are collected and paid, the term "hotel" or "motel" also shall include (regardless of how such term is defined in the local and private law) any entity or individual engaged in the business of furnishing or providing one or more rooms intended or designed for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes that at any one time will accommodate transient guests and that are known to the trade as such and includes every building or other structure kept, used, maintained or advertised as, or held out to the public to be, a place where sleeping accommodations are supplied for pay or other consideration to transient guests regardless of the number of rooms, units, suites or cabins available, excluding nursing homes or institutions for the aged or infirm as defined in Section 43-11-1 and personal care homes.
(2) If the definition of hotel or motel provided in the local and private law authorizing the tax does not include the entities described in subsection (1) of this section, then the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply unless the county board of supervisors or municipal governing authorities, as appropriate, authorized to levy the tax under the local and private law, adopts a resolution declaring their intention to include such entities for the purposes of the tax.
If the county board of supervisors or municipal governing authorities, as appropriate, adopts such a resolution, then at least thirty (30) days before the effective date of the levy of the tax upon the entities described in subsection (1) of this section, the county board of supervisors or municipal governing authorities, as appropriate, shall furnish to the State Tax Commission a certified copy of such resolution.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.