House File 615 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  ELGIN


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act providing for the imposition of a regional lodging tax for
  2    regional promotion and projects.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1999HH 81
  5 mg/gg/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 423A.1, unnumbered paragraph 8, Code
  1  2 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    The tax levied shall be in addition to any state sales tax
  1  4 imposed under section 423.2 or regional lodging tax imposed
  1  5 under section 423F.1.  Section 422.25, subsection 4, sections
  1  6 422.30, 422.67, and 422.68, section 422.69, subsection 1,
  1  7 sections 422.70 to 422.75, section 423.14, subsection 1, and
  1  8 sections 423.23, 423.24, 423.25, 423.31, 423.33, 423.35,
  1  9 423.37 to 423.42, and 423.47, consistent with the provisions
  1 10 of this chapter, apply with respect to the taxes authorized
  1 11 under this chapter, in the same manner and with the same
  1 12 effect as if the hotel and motel taxes were retail sales taxes
  1 13 within the meaning of those statutes.  Notwithstanding this
  1 14 paragraph, the director shall provide for quarterly filing of
  1 15 returns and for other than quarterly filing of returns both as
  1 16 prescribed in section 423.31.  The director may require all
  1 17 persons, as defined in section 423.1, who are engaged in the
  1 18 business of deriving any sales price subject to tax under this
  1 19 chapter, to register with the department.  All taxes collected
  1 20 under this chapter by a retailer or any individual are deemed
  1 21 to be held in trust for the state of Iowa and the local
  1 22 jurisdictions imposing the taxes.
  1 23    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  423F.1  REGIONAL LODGING TAX.
  1 24    1.  For purposes of this chapter, "region" means an area
  1 25 containing at least two cities, a city and the unincorporated
  1 26 area of a county, or the unincorporated areas of two counties
  1 27 where each city and unincorporated area of each county in the
  1 28 area has imposed the hotel and motel tax pursuant to chapter
  1 29 423A.
  1 30    2.  Cities and counties that have imposed hotel and motel
  1 31 taxes pursuant to chapter 423A may establish a region for the
  1 32 purpose of the imposition of a regional lodging tax.  To
  1 33 establish the region the cities and counties that have imposed
  1 34 the hotel and motel tax pursuant to chapter 423A and are
  1 35 located in the area that will make up the region shall enter
  2  1 into chapter 28 agreements with each of the other
  2  2 jurisdictions.  As part of the agreement, a regional
  2  3 administrative board shall be established to administer funds
  2  4 generated by the regional lodging tax.  Each city and county
  2  5 which is part of the agreement is entitled to one member on
  2  6 the regional administrative board who shall be appointed by
  2  7 the governing body of that city or county.  Each member shall
  2  8 serve at the pleasure of the governing body that appointed
  2  9 that member.
  2 10    3.  A city or county located in the region may impose by
  2 11 ordinance of the city council or by resolution of the board of
  2 12 supervisors a regional lodging tax at a rate of one or two
  2 13 percent as specified in the chapter 28 agreement.  The tax
  2 14 shall be imposed upon the sales price from the renting of
  2 15 sleeping rooms, apartments, or sleeping quarters in a hotel,
  2 16 motel, inn, public lodging house, rooming house, manufactured
  2 17 or mobile home which is tangible personal property, or tourist
  2 18 court, or in any place where sleeping accommodations are
  2 19 furnished to transient guests for rent, whether with or
  2 20 without meals; except the sales price from the renting of
  2 21 sleeping rooms in dormitories and in memorial unions at all
  2 22 universities and colleges located in the state of Iowa and the
  2 23 guests of a religious institution if the property is exempt
  2 24 under section 427.1, subsection 8, and the purpose of renting
  2 25 is to provide a place for a religious retreat or function and
  2 26 not a place for transient guests generally.  The tax when
  2 27 imposed by a city shall apply only within the corporate
  2 28 boundaries of that city and when imposed by a county shall
  2 29 apply only outside incorporated areas within that county.
  2 30 "Renting" and "rent" include any kind of direct or indirect
  2 31 charge for such sleeping rooms, apartments, or sleeping
  2 32 quarters, or their use.  However, the tax does not apply to
  2 33 the sales price from the renting of a sleeping room,
  2 34 apartment, or sleeping quarters while rented by the same
  2 35 person for a period of more than thirty=one consecutive days.
  3  1    4.  A regional lodging tax shall be imposed on January 1,
  3  2 April 1, July 1, or October 1, following the notification of
  3  3 the director of revenue.  Once imposed, the tax shall remain
  3  4 in effect at the rate imposed for a minimum of one year.  A
  3  5 regional lodging tax shall terminate only on March 31, June
  3  6 30, September 30, or December 31.  At least sixty days prior
  3  7 to the tax being effective or prior to the repeal of the tax,
  3  8 the regional administrative board shall provide notice by mail
  3  9 of such action to the director of revenue.
  3 10    5.  The director of revenue shall administer a regional
  3 11 lodging tax as nearly as possible in conjunction with the
  3 12 administration of the state sales tax law.  The director shall
  3 13 provide appropriate forms, or provide on the regular state tax
  3 14 forms, for reporting regional lodging tax liability.  All
  3 15 moneys received or refunded one hundred eighty days after the
  3 16 date on which a regional lodging tax is repealed shall be
  3 17 deposited in or withdrawn from the general fund of the state.
  3 18    The director, in consultation with the regional
  3 19 administrative board, shall collect and account for a regional
  3 20 lodging tax and shall credit all revenues to the regional
  3 21 lodging tax fund created in section 423F.2.
  3 22    No tax permit other than the state sales tax permit
  3 23 required under section 423.36 may be required by local
  3 24 authorities.
  3 25    6.  The tax levied shall be in addition to any state sales
  3 26 tax imposed under section 423.2 and the local hotel and motel
  3 27 tax imposed under section 423A.1.  Section 422.25, subsection
  3 28 4, sections 422.30, 422.67, and 422.68, section 422.69,
  3 29 subsection 1, sections 422.70 to 422.75, section 423.14,
  3 30 subsection 1, and sections 423.23, 423.24, 423.25, 423.31,
  3 31 423.33, 423.35, 423.37 to 423.42, and 423.47, consistent with
  3 32 the provisions of this chapter, apply with respect to the
  3 33 taxes authorized under this chapter, in the same manner and
  3 34 with the same effect as if the regional lodging taxes were
  3 35 retail sales taxes within the meaning of those statutes.
  4  1 Notwithstanding this subsection, the director shall provide
  4  2 for quarterly filing of returns and for other than quarterly
  4  3 filing of returns both as prescribed in section 423.31.  The
  4  4 director may require all persons, as defined in section 423.1,
  4  5 who are engaged in the business of deriving any sales price
  4  6 subject to tax under this chapter, to register with the
  4  7 department.  All taxes collected under this chapter by a
  4  8 retailer or any individual are deemed to be held in trust for
  4  9 the state of Iowa and the regional administrative boards of
  4 10 the areas in which the taxes are imposed.
  4 11    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  423F.2  REGIONAL LODGING TAX FUND ==
  4 12 USE OF REVENUES.
  4 13    1.  A regional lodging tax fund is created in the state
  4 14 treasury under the control of the department of revenue which
  4 15 shall consist of all moneys credited to this fund under
  4 16 section 423F.1.
  4 17    2.  a.  All moneys in the regional lodging tax fund shall
  4 18 be remitted at least quarterly by the department of revenue,
  4 19 pursuant to rules of the director of revenue, to each regional
  4 20 administrative board in the amount collected from businesses
  4 21 in its region.
  4 22    b.  Moneys received by the board from this fund shall be
  4 23 credited to a special tourism fund of the region.
  4 24    3.  The special tourism fund shall be administered by the
  4 25 regional administrative board.
  4 26    4.  Moneys in the special tourism fund shall only be used
  4 27 to do any of the following:
  4 28    a.  Assist the region or a city or unincorporated area
  4 29 within the region in the development and creation of
  4 30 attractions and tourism facilities.
  4 31    b.  Promote and advertise tourist attractions located in
  4 32 the region.
  4 33    c.  Provide grants or loans to nonprofit organizations that
  4 34 promote, advertise, or maintain tourist attractions or
  4 35 facilities within the region.
  5  1                           EXPLANATION
  5  2    Present law allows a city or county by resolution or
  5  3 ordinance to impose a local hotel and motel tax of up to 7
  5  4 percent on the renting of lodging rooms.  The city tax applies
  5  5 to rooms located in the city and the county tax applies only
  5  6 to those rooms located in areas outside the cities.  This bill
  5  7 allows a region to impose a 1 or 2 percent tax regionwide.  To
  5  8 do this, each city and county of the region must already
  5  9 impose the local hotel and motel tax and enter into Code
  5 10 chapter 28 agreements to impose the regionwide tax.  The
  5 11 moneys from the tax would be administered by a board that may
  5 12 only spend the moneys for development and creation of
  5 13 attractions and tourism facilities; for promoting and
  5 14 advertising tourist attractions; or for providing grants or
  5 15 loans to nonprofit organizations that promote, advertise, or
  5 16 maintain tourist attractions or facilities.
  5 17 LSB 1999HH 81
  5 18 mg:rj/gg/14