Report Title:

General Excise Tax; Exemption for Food and Drugs

 

Description:

Exempts from the general excise tax all amounts received for food and drugs.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

34

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to general excise tax.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Section 237-24.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§237-24.3 Additional amounts not taxable. In addition to the amounts not taxable under section 237-24, this chapter shall not apply to:

(1) Amounts received from the loading, transportation, and unloading of agricultural commodities shipped for a producer or produce dealer on one island of this State to a person, firm, or organization on another island of this State. The terms "agricultural commodity", "producer", and "produce dealer" shall be defined in the same manner as they are defined in section 147-1; provided that agricultural commodities need not have been produced in the State;

(2) Amounts received from sales of:

(A) Intoxicating liquor as the term "liquor" is defined in chapter 244D;

(B) Cigarettes and tobacco products as defined in chapter 245; and

(C) Agricultural, meat, or fish products grown, raised, or caught in Hawaii, to any person or common carrier in interstate or foreign commerce, or both, whether ocean-going or air, for consumption out-of-state on the shipper's vessels or airplanes;

(3) Amounts received by the manager or board of directors of:

(A) An association of apartment owners of a condominium property regime established in accordance with chapter 514A; or

(B) A nonprofit homeowners or community association incorporated in accordance with chapter 415B or any predecessor thereto and existing pursuant to covenants running with the land,

in reimbursement of sums paid for common expenses;

(4) Amounts received or accrued from:

(A) The loading or unloading of cargo from ships, barges, vessels, or aircraft, whether or not the ships, barges, vessels, or aircraft travel between the State and other states or countries or between the islands of the State;

(B) Tugboat services including pilotage fees performed within the State, and the towage of ships, barges, or vessels in and out of state harbors, or from one pier to another; and

(C) The transportation of pilots or governmental officials to ships, barges, or vessels offshore; rigging gear; checking freight and similar services; standby charges; and use of moorings and running mooring lines;

(5) Amounts received by an employee benefit plan by way of contributions, dividends, interest, and other income; and amounts received by a nonprofit organization or office, as payments for costs and expenses incurred for the administration of an employee benefit plan; provided that this exemption shall not apply to any gross rental income or gross rental proceeds received after June 30, 1994, as income from investments in real property in this State; and provided further that gross rental income or gross rental proceeds from investments in real property received by an employee benefit plan after June 30, 1994, under written contracts executed prior to July 1, 1994, shall not be taxed until the contracts are renegotiated, renewed, or extended, or until after December 31, 1998, whichever is earlier. For the purposes of this paragraph, "employee benefit plan" means any plan as defined in section 1002(3) of title 29 of the United States Code, as amended;

(6) Amounts received for purchases [made with United States Department of Agriculture food coupons under the federal food stamp program, and amounts received for purchases made with United States Department of Agriculture food vouchers under the Special Supplemental Foods Program for Women, Infants and Children;] of food.

As used in this paragraph,"food" means the same as defined in 7 United States Code Section 2012(g), as amended, and includes:

(A) Any food or food product for home consumption except alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption other than those authorized;

(B) Seeds and plants for use in gardens to produce food for the personal household consumption;

(C) In the case of those persons who are sixty years of age or over or who receive supplemental security income benefits or disability or blindness payments under title I, II, X, XIV, or XVI, of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.A. §301 et seq., 401 et seq., 1201 et seq., 1351 et seq., or 1381 et seq.), and their spouses, meals prepared by and served in senior citizens' centers, apartment buildings occupied primarily by such persons, public or private nonprofit establishments (eating or otherwise) that feed such persons, private establishments that contract with the appropriate agency of the State to offer meals for such persons at concessional prices, and meals prepared for and served to residents of federally subsidized housing for the elderly;

(D) In the case of persons sixty years of age or over and persons who are physically or mentally handicapped or otherwise so disabled that they are unable adequately to prepare all of their meals, meals prepared for and delivered to them (and their spouses) at their home by a public or private nonprofit organization or by a private establishment that contracts with the appropriate state agency to perform such services at concessional prices;

(E) In the case of narcotics addicts or alcoholics, and their children, served by drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation programs, meals prepared and served under such programs;

(F) In the case of disabled or blind recipients of benefits under title I, II, X, XIV, or XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.A. §301 et seq., 401 et seq., 1201 et seq., 1351 et seq., or 1381 et seq.), or residents in a public or private nonprofit group living arrangement that serves no more than sixteen residents and is certified by the appropriate state agency meals prepared and served under such arrangement;

(G) In the case of women and children temporarily residing in public or private nonprofit shelters for battered women and children, meals prepared and served, by such shelters; and

(H) In the case of households that do not reside in permanent dwellings and households that have no fixed mailing addresses, meals prepared for and served by a public or private nonprofit establishment (approved by an appropriate state agency) that feeds such individuals and by private establishments that contract with the appropriate agency of the State to offer meals for such individuals at concessional prices;

(7) Amounts received by a hospital, infirmary, medical clinic, health care facility, pharmacy, or a licensed practitioner [licensed to administer the drug to an individual for selling prescription drugs or prosthetic devices to an individual; provided that this paragraph shall not apply to] for the rendering of any medical services, including any amounts received for services provided in selling prescription drugs or prosthetic devices. As used in this paragraph:

(A) "Prescription drugs" are those drugs defined under section 328-1 and dispensed by filling or refilling a written or oral prescription by a practitioner licensed under law to administer the drug and sold by a licensed pharmacist under section 328-16 or practitioners licensed to administer drugs; and

(B) "Prosthetic device" means any artificial device or appliance, instrument, apparatus, or contrivance, including their components, parts, accessories, and replacements thereof, used to replace a missing or surgically removed part of the human body, which is prescribed by a licensed practitioner of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry and which is sold by the practitioner or which is dispensed and sold by a dealer of prosthetic devices; provided that "prosthetic device" shall not mean any auditory, ophthalmic, dental, or ocular device or appliance, instrument, apparatus, or contrivance;

(8) Amounts received for the purchases of drugs. For the purposes of this section, "drugs" means the same as defined by title 21 United States Code in section 321(g), as amended, and includes:

(A) Articles recognized in the official United Sates Pharmacopoeia, official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them;

(B) Articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals;

(C) Articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals;

(D) Articles intended for use as a component of any article specified in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C). A food or dietary supplement is not a drug solely because the label or the labeling contains such a claim. A food, dietary ingredient, or dietary supplement for which a truthful and not misleading statement is made is not a drug under subparagraph (C) solely because the label or the labeling contains such a statement;

   [(8)] (9) Taxes on transient accommodations imposed by chapter 237D and passed on and collected by operators holding certificates of registration under that chapter;

  [(9)] (10) Amounts received as dues by an unincorporated merchants association from its membership for advertising media, promotional, and advertising costs for the promotion of the association for the benefit of its members as a whole and not for the benefit of an individual member or group of members less than the entire membership;

   [(10)] (11) Amounts received by a labor organization for real property leased to:

(A) A labor organization; or

(B) A trust fund established by a labor organization for the benefit of its members, families, and dependents for medical or hospital care, pensions on retirement or death of employees, apprenticeship and training, and other membership service programs.

As used in this paragraph, "labor organization" means a labor organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended; and

  [(11)] (12) Amounts received from foreign diplomats and consular officials who are holding cards issued or authorized by the United States Department of State granting them an exemption from state taxes."

SECTION 2. Section 238-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§238-3 Application of tax, etc. (a) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any property, services, or contracting or to any use of the property, services, or contracting that cannot legally be so taxed under the Constitution or laws of the United States, but only so long as, and only to the extent to which the State is without power to impose the tax.

To the extent that any exemption, exclusion, or apportionment is necessary to comply with the preceding sentence, the director of taxation shall:

(1) Exempt or exclude from the tax under this chapter, property, services, or contracting or the use of property, services, or contracting exempted under chapter 237; or

(2) Apportion the gross value of services or contracting sold to customers within the State by persons engaged in business both within and without the State to determine the value of that portion of the services or contracting that is subject to taxation under chapter 237 for the purposes of section 237-21.

Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, exemptions or exclusions from tax under this chapter allowed on or before April 1, 1978, under the provisions of the Constitution of the United States or an act of the Congress of the United States to persons or common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, or both, whether ocean-going or air, shall continue undiminished and be available thereafter.

(b) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use of property, services, or contracting the transfer of which property, services, or contracting to, or the acquisition of which by, the person so using the same, has actually been or actually is taxed under chapter 237.

(c) The tax imposed by this chapter shall be paid only once upon or in respect of the same property, services, or contracting; provided that nothing in this chapter contained shall be construed to exempt any property, services, or contracting, or the use thereof from taxation under any other law of the State.

(d) The tax imposed by this chapter shall be in addition to any other taxes imposed by any other laws of the State, except as otherwise specifically provided herein; provided that if it be finally held by any court of competent jurisdiction, that the tax imposed by this chapter may not legally be imposed in addition to any other tax or taxes imposed by any other law or laws with respect to the same property, services, or contracting, or the use thereof, then this chapter shall be deemed not to apply to the property, services, or contracting, or the use thereof under such specific circumstances, but such other laws shall be given full effect with respect to the property, services, or contracting, or use.

(e) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use of property exempted by section 238-4.

(f) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use or consumption of aircraft and vessels, the transfer of which aircraft or vessel to, or the acquisition of which by, the person so using or consuming the same, or the rental for the use of the aircraft or vessel, has actually been or actually is taxed under chapter 237.

(g) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any intoxicating liquor as defined in chapter 244D and cigarettes and tobacco products as defined in chapter 245, imported into the State and sold to any person or common carrier in interstate commerce, whether ocean-going or air, for consumption out-of- state by the person, crew, or passengers on the shipper's vessels or airplanes.

(h) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use of vessels constructed under section 189-25 prior to July 1, 1969.

(i) Each taxpayer liable for the tax imposed by this chapter on tangible personal property, services, or contracting shall be entitled to full credit for the combined amount or amounts of legally imposed sales or use taxes paid by the taxpayer with respect to the same transaction and property, services, or contracting to another state and any subdivision thereof, but such credit shall not exceed the amount of the use tax imposed under this chapter on account of the transaction and property, services, or contracting. The director of taxation may require the taxpayer to produce the necessary receipts or vouchers indicating the payment of the sales or use tax to another state or subdivision as a condition for the allowance of the credit.

(j) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use of property, services, or contracting exempted by section 237-26 or section 237-29.

(k) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to any use of air pollution control facility exempted by section 237-27.5.

(l) The tax imposed by this chapter shall not apply to food or drugs exempt from general excise tax under section 237-24.3(6) or (8)."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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