Bill Text: VA SB115 | 2018 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: County food and beverage tax; increases maximum tax that any county is authorized to impose.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-17 - Failed to report (defeated) in Finance (4-Y 9-N) [SB115 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-SB115-Comm_Sub.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§58.1-3833 and 58.1-3842 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§58.1-3833. County food and beverage tax.
A. Any county is hereby authorized to levy a tax on food and
beverages sold, for human consumption, by a restaurant, as such term is defined
in subdivision 9 of §35.1-1, not to exceed four eight percent of
the amount charged for such food and beverages. Such tax shall not be levied on
food and beverages sold through vending machines or by (i) boardinghouses that
do not accommodate transients; (ii) cafeterias operated by industrial plants
for employees only; (iii) restaurants to their employees as part of their
compensation when no charge is made to the employee; (iv) volunteer fire
departments and volunteer emergency medical services agencies; nonprofit
churches or other religious bodies; or educational, charitable, fraternal, or
benevolent organizations the first three times per calendar year and, beginning
with the fourth time, on the first $100,000 of gross receipts per calendar year
from sales of food and beverages (excluding gross receipts from the first three
times), as a fundraising activity, the gross proceeds of which are to be used
by such church, religious body or organization exclusively for nonprofit
educational, charitable, benevolent, or religious purposes; (v) churches that
serve meals for their members as a regular part of their religious observances;
(vi) public or private elementary or secondary schools or institutions of
higher education to their students or employees; (vii) hospitals, medical
clinics, convalescent homes, nursing homes, or other extended care facilities
to patients or residents thereof; (viii) day care centers; (ix) homes for the
aged, infirm, handicapped, battered women, narcotic addicts, or alcoholics; or
(x) age-restricted apartment complexes or residences with restaurants, not open
to the public, where meals are served and fees are charged for such food and
beverages and are included in rental fees. Also, the tax shall not be levied on
food and beverages: (a) when used or consumed and paid for by the Commonwealth,
any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or the United States; or (b)
provided by a public or private nonprofit charitable organization or
establishment to elderly, infirm, blind, handicapped, or needy persons in their
homes, or at central locations; or (c) provided by private establishments that
contract with the appropriate agency of the Commonwealth to offer food, food
products, or beverages for immediate consumption at concession prices to
elderly, infirm, blind, handicapped, or needy persons in their homes or at
central locations.
Grocery stores and convenience stores selling prepared foods ready for human consumption at a delicatessen counter shall be subject to the tax, for that portion of the grocery store or convenience store selling such items.
This tax shall be levied only if the tax is approved in a
referendum within the county which shall be held in accordance with §24.2-684
and initiated either by a resolution of the board of supervisors or on the
filing of a petition signed by a number of registered voters of the county
equal in number to 10 percent of the number of voters registered in the county,
as appropriate on January 1 of the year in which the petition is filed with the
court of such county. However, no referendum initiated by a resolution of the
board of supervisors shall be authorized in a county in the three calendar
years subsequent to the electoral defeat of any referendum held pursuant to
this section in such county. The clerk of the circuit court shall publish
notice of the election in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once
a week for three consecutive weeks prior to the election. If the voters affirm
the levy of a local meals tax, the tax shall be effective in an amount and on
such terms as the governing body may by ordinance prescribe. If such resolution
of the board of supervisors or such petition states for what projects and/or
purposes the revenues collected from the tax are to be used, then the question
on the ballot for the referendum shall include language stating for what
projects and/or purposes the revenues collected from the tax are to be used.
Any referendum held for the purpose of approving a county
food and beverage tax pursuant to this section shall, in the language of the
ballot question presented to voters, contain the following text in a paragraph
unto itself: "If this food and beverage tax is adopted and a maximum tax
rate of four percent is imposed, then the total tax imposed on all prepared
food and beverage shall be..." followed by the total, expressed as a
percentage, of all existing ad valorem taxes applicable to the transaction
added to the four percent county food and beverage tax to be approved by the
referendum.
The term "beverage" as set forth herein shall mean alcoholic beverages as defined in §4.1-100 and nonalcoholic beverages served as part of a meal. The tax shall be in addition to the sales tax currently imposed by the county pursuant to the authority of Chapter 6 (§58.1-600 et seq.). Collection of such tax shall be in a manner prescribed by the governing body.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, Roanoke
County, Rockbridge County, Frederick County, Arlington County, and Montgomery
County, are hereby authorized to levy a tax on food and beverages sold for
human consumption by a restaurant, as such term is defined in §35.1-1 and as
modified in subsection A above and subject to the same exemptions, not to
exceed four percent of the amount charged for such food and beverages, provided
that the governing body of the respective county holds a public hearing before
adopting a local food and beverage tax, and the governing body by unanimous
vote adopts such tax by local ordinance. The tax shall be effective in an
amount and on such terms as the governing body may by ordinance prescribe.
C. Nothing herein contained shall affect any authority
heretofore granted to any county, city or town to levy a meals tax. The county
tax limitations imposed pursuant to §58.1-3711 shall apply to any tax levied
under this section, mutatis mutandis. All food and beverage tax collections and
all meals tax collections shall be deemed to be held in trust for the county,
city or town imposing the applicable tax. The wrongful and fraudulent use of
such collections other than remittance of the same as provided by law shall
constitute embezzlement pursuant to §18.2-111.
D. No county which has heretofore adopted an ordinance
pursuant to subsection A shall be required to submit an amendment to its meals
tax ordinance to the voters in a referendum.
E. C. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this section, no locality shall levy any tax under this section upon (i) that
portion of the amount paid by the purchaser as a discretionary gratuity in
addition to the sales price; (ii) that portion of the amount paid by the
purchaser as a mandatory gratuity or service charge added by the restaurant in
addition to the sales price, but only to the extent that such mandatory
gratuity or service charge does not exceed 20 percent of the sales price; or
(iii) alcoholic beverages sold in factory sealed containers and purchased for
off-premises consumption or food purchased for human consumption as
"food" is defined in the Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. §2012, as
amended, and federal regulations adopted pursuant to that act, except for the
following items: sandwiches, salad bar items sold from a salad bar, prepackaged
single-serving salads consisting primarily of an assortment of vegetables, and
nonfactory sealed beverages.
§58.1-3842. Combined transient occupancy and food and beverage tax.
A. Rappahannock County and Madison County, by duly adopted ordinance, are hereby authorized to levy a tax on occupancy in a bed and breakfast establishment on which the county is authorized to levy a transient occupancy tax under §58.1-3819 and on food and beverages sold for human consumption within such establishment on which the county is authorized to levy a food and beverage tax under §58.1-3833, when the charges for the occupancy of the room or space and for the sale of food and beverages are assessed in the aggregate and not separately stated. Such tax shall not exceed four percent of the total amount charged for the occupancy of the room or space occupied and for the food and beverages. Such tax shall be in such amount and on such terms as the governing body may, by ordinance, prescribe. The tax shall be in addition to the sales tax currently imposed by the county pursuant to the authority of Chapter 6 (§58.1-600 et seq.). Collection of such tax shall be in a manner prescribed by the governing body. All taxes collected under the authority of this article shall be deemed to be held in trust for the county imposing the tax.
B. If a bed and breakfast establishment separately states charges for the occupancy of the room or space and for the sale of food and beverages, a transient occupancy tax levied under §58.1-3819 and a food and beverage tax levied under §58.1-3833 shall apply to such separately stated charges, as applicable.
C. Any tax imposed pursuant to this article shall not apply within the limits of any town located in such county, where such town now, or hereafter, imposes a town meals tax or a town transient occupancy tax on the same subject. If the governing body of any town within a county, however, provides that a county tax authorized by this article shall apply within the limits of such town, then such tax may be imposed within such towns.
D. This tax shall be levied only if a food and beverage tax
has been approved in a referendum within the county as provided by subsection A
of §58.1-3833. No county in which the levy of a food and beverage tax has been
approved in a referendum pursuant to subsection A of §58.1-3833 shall be
required to submit an amendment to its meals tax ordinance or a further
question to the voters in a referendum prior to adopting an ordinance adopting
or amending the tax authorized by this article.
E. Nothing herein contained shall affect any authority
heretofore granted to any county to levy a food and beverage tax or a transient
occupancy tax.
