1. a. A relief agency may apply to the director for refund of the amount of tax imposed hereunder and paid upon sales to it of any goods, wares, merchandise, or services rendered, furnished, or performed, used for free distribution to the poor and needy.
b. Such refunds may be obtained only in the following amounts and manner and only under the following conditions:
(1) On forms furnished by the department, and filed within such time as the director shall provide by regulation, the relief agency shall report to the department the total amount or amounts, valued in money, expended directly or indirectly for goods, wares, merchandise, or services rendered, furnished, or performed, used for free distribution to the poor and needy.
(2) On these forms the relief agency shall separately list the persons making the sales to it or to its order, together with the dates of the sales, and the total amount so expended by the relief agency.
(3) The relief agency must prove to the satisfaction of the director that the person making the sales has included the amount thereof in the computation of the gross receipts of such person and that such person has paid the tax levied by this division, based upon such computation of gross receipts.
c. If satisfied that the foregoing conditions and requirements have been complied with, the director shall refund the amount claimed by the relief agency.
2. Reserved.
3. a. The department shall issue or the seller may separately provide exemption certificates in the form prescribed by the director to assist retailers in properly accounting for nontaxable sales of tangible personal property or services to purchasers for a nontaxable purpose. The department shall also allow the use of exemption certificates for those circumstances in which a sale is taxable but the seller is not obligated to collect tax from the buyer.
b. The sales tax liability for all sales of tangible personal property and all sales of services is upon the seller and the purchaser unless the seller takes in good faith from the purchaser a valid exemption certificate stating under penalties for perjury that the purchase is for a nontaxable purpose and is not a retail sale as defined in section 422.42, subsection 14, or the seller is not obligated to collect tax due, or unless the seller takes a fuel exemption certificate pursuant to subsection 4. If the tangible personal property or services are purchased tax free pursuant to a valid exemption certificate which is taken in good faith by the seller, and the tangible personal property or services are used or disposed of by the purchaser in a nonexempt manner, the purchaser is solely liable for the taxes and shall remit the taxes directly to the department and sections 422.50, 422.51, 422.52, 422.54, 422.55, 422.56, 422.57, 422.58, and 422.59 shall apply to the purchaser.
c. A valid exemption certificate is an exemption certificate which is complete and correct according to the requirements of the director.
d. A valid exemption certificate is taken in good faith by the seller when the seller has exercised that caution and diligence which honest persons of ordinary prudence would exercise in handling their own business affairs, and includes an honesty of intention and freedom from knowledge of circumstances which ought to put one upon inquiry as to the facts. In order for a seller to take a valid exemption certificate in good faith, the seller must exercise reasonable prudence to determine the facts supporting the valid exemption certificate, and if any facts upon such certificate would lead a reasonable person to further inquiry, then such inquiry must be made with an honest intent to discover the facts.
e. If the circumstances change and as a result the tangible personal property or services are used or disposed of by the purchaser in a nonexempt manner or the purchaser becomes obligated to pay the tax, the purchaser is liable solely for the taxes and shall remit the taxes directly to the department in accordance with this subsection.
4. a. The department shall issue or the seller may separately provide fuel exemption certificates in the form prescribed by the director.
b. The seller may accept a completed fuel exemption certificate, as prepared by the purchaser, for five years unless the purchaser files a new completed exemption certificate. If the fuel is purchased tax free pursuant to a fuel exemption certificate which is taken by the seller, and the fuel is used or disposed of by the purchaser in a nonexempt manner, the purchaser is solely liable for the taxes, and shall remit the taxes directly to the department and sections 422.50, 422.51, 422.52, 422.54, 422.55, 422.56, 422.57, 422.58, and 422.59 shall apply to the purchaser.
c. The purchaser may apply to the department for its review of the fuel exemption certificate. In this event, the department shall review the fuel exemption certificate within twelve months from the date of application and determine the correct amount of the exemption. If the amount determined by the department is different than the amount that the purchaser claims is exempt, the department shall promptly notify the purchaser of the determination. Failure of the department to make a determination within twelve months from the date of application shall constitute a determination that the fuel exemption certificate is correct as submitted. A determination of exemption by the department is final unless the purchaser appeals to the director for a revision of the determination within sixty days after the date of the notice of determination. The director shall grant a hearing, and upon the hearing the director shall determine the correct exemption and notify the purchaser of the decision by mail. The decision of the director is final unless the purchaser seeks judicial review of the director's decision under section 422.55 within sixty days after the date of the notice of the director's decision. Unless there is a substantial change, the department shall not impose penalties pursuant to section 422.58, both retroactively to purchases made after the date of application and prospectively until the department gives notice to the purchaser that a tax or additional tax is due, for failure to remit any tax due which is in excess of a determination made under this section. A determination made by the department pursuant to this subsection does not constitute an audit for purposes of section 422.54.
d. If the circumstances change and the fuel is used or disposed of by the purchaser in a nonexempt manner, the purchaser is solely liable for the taxes and shall remit the taxes directly to the department in accordance with subsection 3.
e. The purchaser shall attach documentation to the fuel exemption certificate which is reasonably necessary to support the exemption for fuel consumed in processing. If the purchaser files a new exemption certificate with the seller, documentation shall not be required if the purchaser previously furnished the seller with this documentation and substantial change has not occurred since that documentation was furnished or if fuel consumed in processing is separately metered and billed by the seller.
f. In this section, "fuel" includes gas, electricity, water, heat, steam, and any other tangible personal property consumed in creating heat, power, or steam. In this section, "fuel consumed in processing" means fuel used or disposed of for processing including grain drying, for providing heat or cooling for livestock buildings or for greenhouses or buildings or parts of buildings dedicated to the production of flowering, ornamental, or vegetable plants intended for sale in the ordinary course of business, for use in aquaculture production, or for generating electric current, or in implements of husbandry engaged in agricultural production. In this subsection, "fuel exemption certificate" means an exemption certificate given by the purchaser under penalty of perjury to assist retailers in properly accounting for nontaxable sales of fuel consumed in processing. In this subsection, "substantial change" means a change in the use or disposition of tangible personal property and services by the purchaser such that the purchaser pays less than ninety percent of the purchaser's actual sales tax liability. A change includes a misstatement of facts in an application made pursuant to paragraph "c" or in a fuel exemption certificate.
[C35, § 6943-f42; C39, § 6943.078; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 422.47; 82 Acts, ch 1164, § 2, 3]
83 Acts, ch 1, § 4, 6; 86 Acts, ch 1007, § 29; 87 Acts, ch 196, § 2, 3; 88 Acts, ch 1243, § 7; 92 Acts, 2nd Ex, ch 1001, § 209; 95 Acts, ch 174, §4; 97 Acts, ch 158, §19; 99 Acts, ch 151, §19-21, 89; 2001 Acts, ch 116, §8
Referred to in § 422.52
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